


Second Chance

by SailorStar9



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga), 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: All The Inner Senshi are paired up, Anti-Crystal Tokyo, Anti-Usagi, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Divorced Mamoru/Usagi, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Minor Character Death, Not Beta Read, Police Officer!Ami, Sassy!Ami, Single Mother!Ami, Sort Of, This IS Detective Conan afterall, This authoress regrets nothing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:27:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 95
Words: 138,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22417732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorStar9/pseuds/SailorStar9
Summary: Non Crystal Tokyo universe. 'This is a mistake.' Furuya Rei told her two nights before his undercover mission. The 'mistake' comes back six years later when Mizuno Ami appears before Date Wataru's gravestone with a five-year-old boy by her side.
Relationships: Furuya Rei/Mizuno Ami
Kudos: 7





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Hiding behind a stone plaque at the cemetery, Amuro Tooru's eyes widened slightly when he saw a familiar figure approach Date Wataru's gravestone. Why is she...

"Mama," the light blond boy tugged the bottom of his mother's blouse as the mother-son pair stopped before the grave. "Who is this person?"

"If he was still alive," Ami looked at her son and replying in English. "He'd be your godfather." her eyes then caught the single toothpick that was left on the gravestone. So, he's been here. "Let's go visit grandma, shall we, Fumio?"

"Okay!" the five-year-old nodded and pulled his mother off.

 _Rest in peace, my friend._ Amuro then deleted the message he had saved on his cellphone and walked off to catch up with the mother-son pair. "Can I give you a lift?" he asked. "For old time's sake."

"Rei..." even after six years, Ami could still recognize her former partner and lover. "Very well." she sighed. "For old time's sake."

* * *

Amuro let his mouth quirk a small smile as he watched from his rear-view mirror as the five-year-old slowly slumbering on his mother's lap after the trio visited Mizuno Saeko's gravestone. "That boy..." he started.

"I don't need you to take responsibility for me." Ami cut him off. "You were the one who said 'This is a mistake.' six years ago." she reminded coldly. "Fumio and I, the two of us have been doing fine these five years." she continued. "We don't need you."

Amuro winced inwardly at the accusation. "Oi, oi." he tsked. "Fumio-kun is still my son, isn't he?" risking a side-glance at the hesitant PSB's next assistant head of Cyber Security, he added, "Despite what happened six years ago, my feelings... never changed. All I ask is a second chance after all this is over."

"I..." Ami breathed, her breath hitched when she saw the intense expression Amuro had.

"Please..." Amuro whispered. "I didn't mean what I said back then; it was meant to protect you."

"I can never say 'no' to you, can I?" Ami relented.

"You never could, Sprite." Amuro grinned. "We're here." he announced, driving into the hotel's carpark.

* * *


	2. The Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

"Do you want me to..." Amuro trailed, opening the car door on Ami's side.

"I'm fine." Ami cut him off, stepping out of the vehicle and retrieving her handbag. "Besides," she took Fumio into her arms. "You'll be risking your cover if we're seen together."

"You even know _that_?" Amuro inwardly winced.

"Just the barest details." Ami admitted. "I... won't ask for an explanation because I know you; the one thing I always hated about you is that you tend to keep the important details to yourself. That's why I can only ask one thing from you." she brushed a lock of Amuro's hair from his face. "Just... come back to me, alive." _That's right._ She mused, watching Amuro drive off. _Trusting you to come back to me is the only thing I can do right now, because on that night, six years ago, I've already decided that you're the only man I truly gave my heart to. That's why I'll be waiting for you to return to my side. If you dare die, I'll_ never _forgive you._

* * *

"Mama?" Fumio stirred from his impromptu nap two hours later on the hotel bed. "Where's papa?"

"He had to go back to work." Ami replied. "Hungry?"

"Yes!" Fumio beamed and slid off the bed to brush his teeth.

Ami watched her son enter the bathroom and opened the photo gallery of her cellphone and scrolled down to a photo Date Wateru had sent her on the day of the Police Academy graduation. Tracing a finger along the edges of the younger Amuro's face, she snapped her phone shut when she heard Fumio exit the bathroom. "What do you want to eat?" she looked at her son.

"Spaghetti!" Fumio declared.

"Alright." Ami smiled and the mother-son pair exited their room.

* * *


	3. Family Day Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

"Konbanwa, tou-san." Fumio placed a call to his newly-discovered father when Ami was taking a bath.

"Konbanwa, Fumio-kun." Amuro returned the greeting.

"Tou-san," Fumio started. "Are you busy tomorrow?"

* * *

"Mama!" Fumio shook his mother awake the next morning.

"Hai, hai, I'm up." a groggy Ami slipped out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

"Ohayo, tou-san." Fumio dialed his father's number. "Kaa-san's getting ready."

"I'm already in the lobby, Fumio-kun." Amuro informed.

* * *

"Mama!" the excited Fumio pulled his mother out of the lift. "Look, it's papa!" he pointed to Amuro who was sitting on one of the chairs in the hotel lobby.

Ami looked down at her son, then at the amused Amuro, then at her son again and sighed. _And here I thought my match-made days were over._

"Tou-san!" Fumio freed himself from his mother and ran towards his father.

"Don't say it." Ami growled at the smirking Amuro.

"I'm not saying anything." Amuro's smirk widened.

"Our darling son set this up, didn't he?" Ami shook her head, the five-year-old pulling both adults out of the hotel.

"You certainly don't hear me complaining." Amuro grinned. "Now, how about I treat us to breakfast?"

* * *

"Tou-san," Fumio found what he was looking for. "Can we go here next?" he showed his father the glossy two-page spread of the Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa in the guidebook he brought along.

"Fumio," Ami sweatdropped. "I _really_ need to restrict what you read."

"Like mother, like son, huh?" Amuro's eyes twinkled.

"Just drive." Ami sighed.

* * *

"It's been quite tough on you for the past six years." Amuro remarked, both parents looking on as Fumio bent over the aquarium touch pool. "If I had known..." he tucked a strand of hair behind Ami's ear.

"You couldn't have done anything." Ami cut him off. "For all it's worth, I never hated you; I never could, not after you've given me such a precious gift."

"Tou-san, kaa-san, let's see the corals." Fumio called out.

"We're coming." Amuro answered.

* * *

"How long will the two of you be staying?" Amuro asked, later in the evening as the sun was setting, both parents having brought Fumio to Beika Park.

"We'll be leaving for the airport tomorrow morning." Ami replied, the two adults watching their son play on the slide.

"Isn't that a little to short for a vacation?" Amuro wondered.

"Don't give me that look." Ami chided. "I still have around six months before my contract is over. Fumio and I will most probably be returning to Japan after that."

"Six months, huh?" Amuro mused. "I... don't think I can..."

"It's one of those long-term jobs, right?" Ami guessed. "It doesn't matter; just take as long you need. Fumio and I... we can wait."

"It's times like these that make me wonder if I really deserve the two of you." Amuro pulled his partner into a hug. He then took out a simple, curved ring from his jacket pocket. "That's why..." he slipped the ring onto Ami's left ring finger. "A promise: when everything is over, let's get married."

* * *


	4. Rekindled Friendship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

"Bye mama!" Fumio called, boarding the school van that would take him to pre-school.

"Well," Ami took a look at her watch. "I have about one hour to prepare for work. You..." her eyes darkened considerably when she saw a familiar blond enter her sight.

"Hi, Ami." Aino Minako greeted the former Mercury Senshi. "You're really a hard person to find."

"My stand on Crystal Tokyo remains unchanged." Ami stated plainly. "You've wasted your time coming here."

"Wait, Ami." Minako called out. "Please... hear me out."

"I have about an hour before my shift." Ami relented. "Let's talk back at my place."

* * *

"Nice place you have." Minako perused the apartment appreciatively. "You look... happy." she noted, glancing at the photo frames that decorated the living room.

"I am." Ami replied, bringing in two cups of matcha tea.

"No husband?" Minako asked, noticing the lack of a father in the pictures.

"I'm not married." Ami replied flatly, causing Minako to spew out the tea she was drinking.

"That was... unexpected." Minako admitted. "Anyway, Ami, listen." she sighed, taking a sip of tea. "After your... rant thirteen years ago, the rest of us mulled over your reasoning and..." she took another sip of tea. "Most of us conceded your argument; even Setsuna-san was forced to admit that Crystal Tokyo is a very bad idea. But Usagi-chan... she was adamant that her using the Ginzuishou to erase negative emotions: to remove the intent of acting onsuch emotions, was the best way to prevent people like the Dark Moon Clan from ever existing and refused to see otherwise. Mamoru-san had tried to explaining that it was wrong to strip humanity of free will by ripping out an essential part of what makes humans, humans, but Usagi-chan just won't hear of it and insisted quite loudly that her way is the only way. Then, when Mako-chan asked her what would happen to the people who refused to accept her rule, Usagi-chan just..." here, the blonde took a deep breath and continued. "Declared that she'll simply use the Ginzuishou to 'cleanse' the population to remove any dissent and anyone who refused the 'cleansing' is to be banished to Nemesis. It was then we realized that not only did Usagi-chan have every intention of turning her dream of following Queen Selenity's footsteps into a reality, she planned to take it a step further by playing God and... we just couldn't accept that." the former Venusian Senshi just sighed. "After that, things just spiraled down from there: officially, the Senshi were disbanded, but we kept our henshin sticks since they were our birthright and not even Usagi-chan could take them away from us."

"Well," Ami snorted, unimpressed. "So much for Tsukino keeping her promise to Demande."

"Look, Ami." Minako started. "I just want to say, you were right. We were so focused on ensuring our promised destiny is fulfilled that we forgot the most important thing: we forgot that no one, not even us, has the right to play God, to drastically alter what was human nature. So, your rant thirteen years ago, was a rude but necessary wake-up call."

"And Tsukino just let you girls go off like that?" Ami asked. "No threatening you with the Ginzuishou? No whining about how her destined future is gone or how cruel you all are for not letting her see her precious Chibi-Usa again?"

"I think Mamoru-san took care of that." Minako smiled wryly. "So," she gave her hostess an inquiring look. "Why in law enforcement? I thought you wanted to be a doctor."

"Too much internal politics and corruption in general hospitals, for one." Ami shrugged. "The second reason: I figured I could protect Japan better without any bias with what I'm doing right now."

"You've changed, Ami." Minako noted.

"Motherhood does that to you." Ami replied. "So, what have you been doing for these thirteen years? I get updates from Haruka-san and Michiru-san once in awhile."

"Wow, you've really been out of touch, haven't you?" Minako tsked.

"Minako, I haven't been Japan for the last six years." Ami deathpanned. "The last time I returned to Japan was two weekends ago to visit my mother's grave."

"Here." Minako pulled out her purse and handed Ami a name card.

"I'm impressed." Ami nodded, looking at the name card. "You've done great for yourself."

"Thanks." Minako replied. "Do you have 'Whatsapp'?" she thought to ask. "I'll give you Rei-chan's, Mako-chan's and my phone numbers. I know the others will want to know how you're doing."

* * *

"Hello." Ami took the call on her cellphone minutes after Minako made her exit.

"You sound tired." Amuro's amused voice sounded from the other end of the line. "Did I catch you on a bad time?"

"Just had an unexpected visitor." Ami answered.

"Will you be alright?" Amuro asked in concern.

"Yeah, I will be." Ami assured. "Rei," she voiced, glancing at the wall clock. "I have to run."

"Right." Amuro answered. "Call you later. Love you."

"I know." Ami smiled.

* * *


	5. An Unwelcome Visitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

"And here I thought I left this behind thirteen years ago." Ami sighed, when she felt her backdrop shift into a watery blue along with a familiar pulse of power and a miniature replica of herself appeared on the coffee table. "Hello."

"I'm surprised you aren't freaking out." Guardian Mercury remarked amusedly.

"I got a heads-up from Minako-chan." Ami replied.

"Good, then this will make things easier." Guardian Mercury nodded. "Your Holy Highness, Crown Princess Hermia of Mercury." she bowed. "I am here to formally inform you that you are hereby required to claim the Frost Tiara for you have fulfilled the conditions necessary to be crowned."

"And if I refuse?" Ami posted a question.

"You don't _have_ a choice." Guardian Mercury gave the former ice Senshi a stony look.

"At the very least, give me a good reason why." Ami returned the glare.

"The Castle magics will keep the young, future Crown Prince safe from the wrath of the Moon Princess." Guardian Mercury replied. "Despite the years that have passed, Tsukino Usagi still despises you; remember, her past self as Princess Serenity reacted very adversely to rejection and I suspect her present self is the same."

"You mentioned conditions." Ami stated.

"Yes." the small Sailor Power Guardian nodded. "The first condition is age maturity. The second, a consort and an heir."

"But Fumio is male." Ami pointed out. "Don't Sailor Senshi have to be female?"

" _Sailor_ Senshi are female." Guardian Mercury confirmed. "Males are known Guardian Knights."

"Like Endymion?" Ami questioned.

"Quite similar." Guardian Mercury nodded.

"Wonderful." Ami muttered. "Now I have to figure out how to explain _this_ to Rei."

"Furuya Rei?" Guardian Mercury echoed. "Does he look like this?" she conjured up a hologram of Rei in armor beside her.

"How did..." Ami gaped.

"I should've figured this would be the case." Guardian Mercury grinned widely. " _Your_ Furuya Rei is, or rather was, your Soul Bound and betrothed in the Silver Millennium."

The grinning Sailor Power Guardian decided Ami's 'WHAT?' was worth dropping the bombshell.

"Is that the reason why I've always been avoiding him in the Police Academy?" Ami asked.

"Possibly." Guardian Mercury replied. "Even without all your past memories, your subconscious somehow recognized him."

"So, what's our next step?" Ami asked.

"Letting me jump-start Furuya Rei's memories." Guardian Mercury replied.

"And hope he keeps an open mind and doesn't freak out." Ami muttered.

"And that's the reason you're helping me, Your Holiness." Guardian Mercury grinned playfully.

"Why do I get a _very_ bad feeling about this?" Ami wondered. "Just... don't flood his mind all at one go."

* * *

In Amuro's dreamscape...

"Should I be panicking?" the dark-skinned undercover agent mused, finding himself in smoky surroundings.

"I'd rather you not, Reiner." Guardian Mercury remarked, appearing at his feet.

"Ami?" Rei blinked.

"Not exactly." Guardian Mercury corrected. "Furuya Rei, just much did my Princess tell you about her past?" taking note of his bewildered expression, the Sailor Power Guardian sighed. "You might want to make yourself comfortable; this could take awhile."

Realizing the miniature Guardian's expression brokered no argument, Rei bit back a sigh and readied himself for the massive information dump.

What Guardian Mercury did later was something he had not expected; revealing the Mercury Crystal, Guardian Mercury simply removed his memory seal with a pulse of power.

"What did I say about not flooding his mind?" Ami asked the small Sailor Power Guardian, catching her unconscious partner before he could hit the ground, the memory overload having knocked him out.

* * *


	6. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Still in Amuro's dreamscape...

"What just hit me?" Amuro muttered, rubbing his temples to stave off the pounding headache.

"A sudden flood of almost two millennia old memories." Ami deathpanned. "And to think I told her _not_ to do that. Welcome back." she looked down at the light blond on her lap.

"Have to admit, _that_ was quite a wake-up call." Amuro concurred, sitting up. "Do I want to know the reason you decided to claim the crown at this point?" he gave his lover a pointed look.

"I'm only claiming the throne as a means to protect Fumio from Tsukino Usagi; it seems Princess Serenity's adverse reaction to rejection carried over to her incarnation." Ami replied. "Rei," she let out a breath she had not known she was holding. "Will you be willing to listen to what I have to say?"

"Sprite, you don't have to..." Amuro stated.

"No," Ami shook her head. "Guardian Mercury is right. It's time I came clean with everything. It all started sixteen years ago..."

* * *

"And here I thought Hermia being Sailor Mercury back in the Silver Millennium was bad." Amuro muttered, the back of his hand rested in his forehead as he stared at the ceiling of his darkened room. "At the very least, the girls weren't as restricted back then. Although," he frowned. "I can see why she would be adverse to Crystal Tokyo. But what was Sailor Pluto thinking, allowing them past the Gates of Time and to the future? Doesn't she realize the implications that would cause; that every decision made could very well create yet another alternate timeline? No point pondering about what happened a decade and a half ago." he sat up and prepared to go to work.

* * *

"Kaa-san, this is embarrassing!" Fumio complained, tugging at the amulet pouch that hung around his neck, Ami having placed a 'Seal of Protection' amulet inside the small bag. "What would tou-san say?"

"This is to protect you." Ami insisted, hiding the pouch inside her son's shirt. "And don't bring your father into this. Now, off you go to school." she watched the boy board the school bus. "No, I'm not being over-paranoid." she reassured herself. "When it comes to Fumio's safety, _nothing_ is considered too excessive."

* * *

"What is this I hear from Fumio-kun about you making him wear a protection amulet that has Ancient Mercury shielding runes engraved on it?" Amuro questioned his partner, later that night.

"It is for his protection." Ami replied. "When it comes to Fumio _and_ Tsukino Usagi, I'm _not_ taking any chances."

"Sprite, you're being over-paranoid." Amuro shook his head.

"No, I'm not." Ami retorted.

"Yes, you are." Amuro sighed. "Although I don't fault you. If Tsukino Usagi is anything like Princess Serenity, the shielding runes should be able to provide additional protection against the Ginzuishou's scrying abilities."

"Glad you approve." Ami snorted. "As long as Mamoru-san isn't able to keep her in line, I'm _not_ risking my son."

" _Our_ son, Sprite." Amuro reminded. "Remember, half his genes are mine."

* * *


	7. Reminiscing Memories, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

_A_ _mi's Dream Sequence_

_Ami found herself an invisible spectator as she watched from above: Hondou Hidemi and Furuya Rei were handcuffed to a pole in an abandoned warehouse with Vermouth, Gin and Vodka interrogating the pair. Words were exchanged, mainly between Gin and the captives before Gin raised his handgun and readied to dispose of Rei._

_It was the sound of the gunshot that forced Ami back into consciousness._

* * *

"No!" Ami snapped her eyes open, abruptly sitting up on the bed. "A dream?" she frowned. Letting out a breath, she slid out of bed and headed to the kitchen for a cup of tea to calm her nerves. "Tanabata, huh?" she mused, sipping the chamomile tea in the tea cup as she glanced at the wall calendar, then at the Vega and Altair stars glittering in the night sky. "This brings back memories..."

* * *

_Flashback_

_Tightening her coat around her, Ami quickened her footsteps as she arrived at the meeting point of her contact on the bank of a wide river. Unknown to her, Furuya Rei and two of his subordinates had shadowed the female as they espied the meeting._

_"Akashi-san." Ami greeted her contact._

_"Bunko-san." the slightly over-weight male returned, reaching into his pants pocket._

_"As promised." Ami walked over to a wooden table and unlocked the suitcase, revealing it to be filled with bank notes. "Three million dollars in U.S currency."_

_"Wonderful." the black market dealer smirked. "Here, as promised." he handed a CD case with two CDs in it over._

_"Thank you." Ami nodded. "It's been nice doing business with you. I hope this will be the last time we see of each other."_

_"Indeed, Bunko-san." Akashi drawled slowly. "This will be the last time we see each other." reaching into his jacket pocket, he drew out a revolver. "You're way too naive, little girl. There's only one person who'll walk away from this alive and it," he was poised to fire. "Won't be you, my dear."_

_Two clicks from behind the trees indicated that Kazami Yuya and a second PSB officer had released the safety of their shotguns._

_"Back off!" Akashi barked. "Or I'll shoot!"_

_Ami slowly squatted near the ground, fisted a handful of dirt and flung it at Akashi's eyes._

_"You insolent...!" Akashi roared, rubbing his eyes to clear his vision._

_Ami took the opening and knocked Akashi off balance with a sweep kick. Gripping Akashi's wrist, she twisted the hand, forcing the middle-aged man to drop the revolver._

_"You impudent little..." Akashi spat, reaching for his dropped weapon._

_"Get down!" Rei sprung into action, tackling his partner to the ground and narrowly avoiding Akashi's gunfire. At the same time, Kazami's shot knocked the revolver out of Akashi's hand and the two PSB officers closed in on the black market dealer._

_"How..." Ami breathed, Rei pulling her up as Kazami took Akashi into custody._

_The taller male turned aside and flushed slightly, "I was worried about you."_

_"What the..." Ami blinked._

_"Do I have to spell it out for you, Mizuno?" Rei sighed. Wrapping an arm around Ami's waist, he pulled her close and kissed her. "I really like you." he confessed. "Ever since back at the Police Academy."_

_"I see..." Ami stepped back. "Then, after so long...?"_

_"I'm sorry." Rei apologized. "Despite what Wataru keep insisting, I wasn't sure about my feelings. But when I saw Akashi pull out the revolver..." he huffed out a breathe. "Look, what I want to say..."_

_"I know." Ami cut him off with a soft kiss._

_Rei just smiled into the kiss and deepened the kiss. "Ne, Ami." he turned to his new girlfriend after they broke off. "Want to go to the Asagaya Tanabata Festival with me this weekend?"_

* * *

The dial of her ringtone signaled that she had an incoming call. "Hello." Ami took the call.

"This isn't like you, to be up this late." Amuro chided. "Is anything the matter?"

"Nothing." Ami assured. "I'm just... reminiscing. The stars... they're beautiful."

"That so?" Amuro wondered and slid open his room window. "Hm, you're right." he concurred. "The stars... really are beautiful tonight. By the way," he looked at the intricately crafted ballerina music box on his work desk. "Your present, I've received it. But I must say," he teased. "You really are sentimental."

"Hush you!" Ami muttered. "Rei," she whispered. "Just.. be careful."

"What's the matter?" Amuro let out a nervous chuckle. "All of the sudden..."

"Earlier," Ami started. "I had a dream."

"Dream?" Amuro echoed.

"A dream, where you were shot." Ami admitted. "I... don't want to lose you."

"That so?" Amuro noted. "I'm sorry; it seems I've made you cry again."

* * *


	8. Reminiscing Memories, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing

The next morning, Ami poured a mug of coffee from the coffee maker and sighed after she took a sip. "What I won't give for one of Rei's lattes?" she mused.

* * *

_Flashback_

_The following morning after the undercover mission that led to Rei's confession, Ami was already at her work station, working on her report when a tanned arm appeared within her vision and a coffee mug was placed in front of her. Ami blinked and looked up, "Furuya-san, good morning." she greeted her partner._

_"Good morning, Mizuno." Rei returned, the two partners reverting back to their professional selves at the workplace. "Your latte, just the way you like it: extra whipped cream with a dusting of cinnamon, am I right?"_

_"Thanks." Ami nodded and smiled behind the mug as she took a sip of the frothy beverage. "Furuya-san," she voiced, raising her head slightly above the partition that separated their respective work stations. "About your involvement last night, it_ is _staying off the record, right?"_

_"Agreed." Rei nodded._

_"Noted." Ami replied. "Just double-checking."_

* * *

_"Hey, Ami." Rei rested his hands on the top of the partition of Ami's workplace. "How about we go out for lunch? There's a new ramen eatery that just opened round the corner. I mean, you must be tired of having conbini bento boxes for lunch all the time."_

_"Just give me a moment." Ami replied and finished the sentence she was typing before saving the document and putting her computer on hibernation. Grabbing her purse, her pass card and an opened packet of tissue, she tossed them into her carrier bag and headed out._

* * *

_"So, is this considered our first date?" Rei joked, after the pair were brought to a table._

_"Unofficial first date, I would think." Ami replied, perusing the menu._

_"How's the report coming?" Rei asked after they placed their orders and a waitress retrieved their menus._

_"It's coming." Ami admitted. "I suppose it pays to have a eidetic memory."_

_"Please don't rub it in." Rei rolled his eyes. "Not everyone has a perfect memory like you do."_

_"You were the one who asked." Ami shrugged, sipping the iced red tea that had been brought to their table._

_"Can I ask" Rei inquired. "From what I know of you, hasn't it always been your ambition to be a doctor? Then why are you in law enforcement?"_

_"Can we..." Ami's eyes widened as she tightened her hand into a fist in pained memory before reining her expression in. "Not talk about this now?"_

_"Sorry." Rei muttered when a waitress bought their ramen bowls._

_"Itadakimasu." Ami slid the disposable chopsticks from the plastic wrapper and dug into her miso ramen._

* * *

_"Wait a minute." Ami stopped Rei when they walked back to the Bureau and past a convenience store. "Here." she exited the store several minutes later with two ice pops in hand and handed Rei a melon-favored ice pop._

_"Thanks." Rei tore open the wrapper and bit into the frozen treat._

_"I..." Ami started, swallowing her bite of her ice . "Always wanted to be a doctor ever since I was a child mostly due to my mother's influence, I suppose." letting out a wry smile, she added, "I remember reading my mother's medical books ever since I knew how to read; the dictionary was my second best friend growing up."_

_"Guess that answers my first question." Rei muttered._

_"I'm not sure if you remember, but about three weeks into the Police Academy, I received a phone call from the hospital my mother worked in." Ami added._

_"Oh yeah." Rei nodded. "Wataru and I were puzzled on where you keep disappearing after that; it wasn't like you to just up and vanish after classes like that."_

_"I was visiting Chiharu-chan at her house." Ami admitted._

_"Chiharu?" Rei echoed._

_"A eight-year-old girl I befriended before attending the Academy." Ami replied. "She was diagnosed with brain cancer a year before. That call was from her head doctor, telling me that she wasn't responding well to chemotherapy and told me to expect the worst. But then," she snorted derisively. "I found out they lied. They only did the barest minimum to keep both me and mother from asking too many questions."_

_"What?" Rei frowned. "How did you find out?"_

_"The nurses talk." Ami replied. "The nurses station is the main gossip center. As it turns out, when the doctors found out Chiharu's parents could no longer continue to afford the chemotherapy and the supplementary medication, they cut off the treatment and only gave her steroids to reduce the inflammation before kicking her out. That was then when I realized being a doctor in the big general hospitals isn't about the patients anymore, it's all about performing expensive procedures, regardless whether the patient needs it or not. Chiharu was one month short of her ninth birthday when she died!" she sobbed_

_"I'm sorry." Rei whispered, pulling her close as her sobs grew louder. "I shouldn't have asked. Will you be alright?" he asked, concerned._

_"I'll be fine." Ami smiled, tossing her melted ice pop into a nearby trash can. "Guess I just had to get that off my chest."_

* * *

Thank you, Rei, for listening. _Ami mused, after Rei sent her home in his car after their dinner date._ Maybe, it is possible for me to take a chance at love, after all.

* * *

"Someone's rather happy this morning." Jodie Sterling teased, hearing the cyber-security expert from Japan hum a tune as Ami skipped into the conference room. "Had a good dream last night?"

"That's a secret." Ami winked.

* * *


	9. That Tanabata Incident Nine Years Ago

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Nine Years Before Present Time...

Usagi's POV

It had been a little over four years since the Senshi had split. I had married my beloved Mamo-chan after daddy gave us his blessings. And now the next stage with my dear husband as I carried our child had consumed my memories.

Months of planning for the newest arrival came with bittersweet memories: that night when we were going to be parents, our beloved child died: a stillborn, a little girl. The doctors allowed us to spend time with our child weeping and holding her for hours on end until it was time we gave the child to the doctors. Heaviness weighed down on my heart, tears fell upon my face; my life came crashing down.

My child, my beloved child died. What did I do to deserve this?

It is the Tanabata this weekend and Mamo-chan suggested that we attend the Asagaya Tanabata Festival and I agreed; I mean, what could go wrong, right?

* * *

Mamoru's POV

Usako and I had been trying to have a family, but no such luck. The baby would not live through the pregnancy, in which, I mean either Usako would miscarry or we will suffer the same fate with the first born.

We decided to take a break from having any children and I suggested going to the Asagaya Tanabata Festival so that Usako could take her mind off losing yet another child.

* * *

At the Tanabata Festival...

Usagi's POV

I was pulling Mamo-chan along the streets as I looked up at the massive floating paper-mâché floats when I saw a familiar flash of blue and I found myself go red as anger whelmed within me.

* * *

Across the Chiba couple, Ami bit back a giggle when she saw Rei hide a wince from the sudden brain-freeze after he took a bite from the kakigōri they had bought from the ice shaving vendor a while back. "Don't eat so fast." the blue-haired woman chided.

"Yes, dear." Rei gave his date a teasing grin when his danger senses went on high alert. "Good day." he greeted the Chiba couple, Usagi had angrily pulled Mamoru with her as she stormed over to the couple.

"How is it even possible?" Usagi demanded. "How is it even possible that you, Mizuno, are allowed happiness when you destroyed my happiness?"

Ami and Rei looked at each other, then at the fuming blond and it was Ami who answered, "Don't you even pin this on me, Tsukino-san, or is it Chiba-san, now? It's not my fault that you insist on being the center of attention; quite possibly the reason why you aren't happy is because you can't accept that fact that the world doesn't revolve around you."

"How dare you!" Usagi roared, grabbing Ami by the arm.

"And pray, why are you getting upset with me?" Ami questioned.

"Why?" Usagi scoffed. "You stole Chibi-Usa and my two sons from me!" People started crowding around the two couples, wondering what is going on. "You don't deserve to be happy! You should have been miserable!"

It was then Rei stepped in, yakking Usagi's hand away from his girlfriend. "You won't touch her!" He glared, resting his strong hand on Ami's back, before turning to Mamoru, his expression darkening, "I've never in my life seen two grown adults act like children; it's both pathetic and embarrassing and to think my girlfriend used to consider the two of you as among her best friends."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Usagi snapped.

"I'm referring to a self-centered woman who feels the world should be handed to her on a sliver platter." Rei turned his glare at Usagi. "No wonder you can't reproduce, you are nothing more then a little girl yourself. You love to make others miserable because you can't handle the fact that they can be happy with what they have and you can't." he retorted and led his date off.

Both Mamoru and Usagi stood in silence as the couple walked off, and it took the married couple a minute to register what was going around them; their faces burned with embarrassment at the scene they caused.

As Rei and Ami vanished into the crowd, Usagi could not help, but feel rather envious of her former friend; not only had Ami grown more beautiful, she also had a handsome and very loving boyfriend. And most of all, if her clothes were anything to go by, Ami was obviously doing way better than she was.

* * *

Later that night...

Usagi's POV

My mind reeled with such rage; I could only think about how lucky of a life she is living as of this very moment and here both Mamo-chan and I are the miserable ones. _It's like God has been blessing her through these years and cursing me. I hate that traitor! She shouldn't be happy when she was the one who betrayed me! Mamo-chan and I tried so hard, but not only did my daughter die, but several others after she passed away! I can see her laughing and smiling at her lover, not even bothering with that fact that I can't ascend the throne as Queen of Crystal Tokyo. It is like she doesn't even care about destroying my perfect future._

* * *


	10. Mementos Of The Mother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Three weeks later after the uneventful Tanabata Festival, Ami exited her apartment building and let out an exhausted sigh.

"What's wrong?" Rei asked, stepping out from the driver's side of his white RX-7.

"Nothing." Ami assured, moving over to the passenger side.

"Don't lie to me, Sprite." Rei chided, after the couple strapped themselves in. "If it's about your mother..."

"I'll be fine." Ami replied. "It's just..." she let out a wry smile. "I mean, it's a good thing she died doing what she loves, right?"

"If you need me to help with the funeral preparations..." Rei offered.

"Thanks." Ami gave him a smile. "I appreciate it and thanks for Saturday." she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

* * *

_Flashback_

_"Dr. Mizuno's personal effects." the current Head of the Gynecology Department led Ami and Rei to Mizuno Saeko's empty work table where the deceased gynecologist's items were packed into a cardboard box._

_"And my mother's body?" Ami asked._

_"In the hospital's morgue." the Head Gynecologist replied. "Please follow the Head Nurse to identify the body and sign the authorization forms."_

_"You're Mizuno-sensei's daughter?" the Head Nurse was surprised as she led the pair to the hospital's morgue. "You know, she was quite disappointed when you gave up being a doctor. But when she saw how you had blossomed in the Police Academy, she was happy that you had found your own path; she was very proud of you. We're here." she stopped before the morgue doors._

_"Hi mom." Ami whispered, the Head Nurse pulling off the white cover from her mother's face._

* * *

"Before I forget," Ami retrieved a bento box wrapped in a green cloth from her bag and handed it over to Rei. "Here."

"Thanks." Rei nodded and took the offered bento box. It had become a regular thing between them; Ami had started making bento lunches for the both of them when they started dating, they only ate out when they had to pull the late night shift the previous night. "Is that..." he spotted the heavily dog-earred medical book his partner was browsing through.

"Yeah," Ami replied. "One of the medical books from mother's personal effects. It's been so long since I've re-read this."

"And how old were you?" Rei muttered, sweatdropping.

* * *

After parking in the Bureau's parking lot, Rei and Ami were about to enter the building when Ami stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening at the aged visitor at the security guard's booth.

"What's the matter?" Rei asked, seeing his partner's stunned expression.

"Yo, Ami-chan." Mizuno Suiiro greeted his estranged daughter.

"Otou-san..." Ami breathed.

"Did I... come at a bad time?" the older Mizuno asked.

"I'll leave the two of you to talk." Rei voiced and was about to enter the Bureau when Ami gripped his hand tightly. He cast a worried look at his lover and stood beside her, offering his silent support.

"You've heard about mother, then?" Ami asked her father.

"Yes." Suiiro nodded. "I know I have no right in requesting this, but I would want to help in the funeral rites, that is, if you would allow me."

"Looks like we'll have to cut lunchtime short." Ami gave Rei an apologetic look. "Can we discuss this after lunch?" she turned to her father.

"Of course." Suiiro replied. "Around 1.00 pm?"

"Sure." Ami nodded.

* * *

"Ami-chan, you might want to call your significant other in." Suiiro remarked jokingly after the father-daughter pair ironed out the funeral preparations. "Across the street, dear daughter." he nodded through the coffee house window at the tanned male who was failing spectacularly at hiding. "Now, young man." he cast 'The Look' at his daughter's suitor after sending Ami off on a small errand. "What are your intentions towards my daughter?"

Despite himself, Rei swallowed a nervous gulp and mentally crossed his fingers as he prepared for the inevitable interrogation; he survived Mizuno Saeko's grilling, so pulling through Mizuno Suiiro's questioning should be a piece of cake... right?

* * *


	11. The Split

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

"I'm being posted to America?" Ami echoed after her department head informed her of her newest assignment.

"Los Angeles to be exact." Hisoka corrected. "And you'll be posted to America for seven years: three months to complete the entry-level training courses in the University of Southern California. After the training, you'll be working closely with the FBI. By the way," he added. "You are also expected to complete the immediate and expert-level certifications at your own discretion."

"What happens after seven years?" Ami posted a question.

"Why," Hisoka smiled. "You'll be transferred to the Cyber-Security Department."

"You're breaking Furuya-san and me up?" Ami frowned.

"About Furuya," Hisoka stated. "You do not have to worry about him; he will have his separate long-term assignment. Dismissed."

* * *

Later that week...

Ami rested her head on her pillowed hands that laid on the wall of the mixed onsen; her and Rei having a quiet getaway during the weekends had become a routine for them after three months of dating.

"You've been sighing a lot nowadays, Sprite." Rei remarked, settling himself beside her.

"I assume you've heard from Hisoka-buchō, then." Ami rested her head on her partner's chest.

"About your posting to LA?" Rei asked. "Yeah, I've heard." he confirmed.

"Rei, don't change the subject." Ami looked up at him. "I was referring to your assignment."

"Sprite," Rei looked away as he tightened his hold around her waist. "Just... don't pry, please."

"Top secret, X-rank mission?" Ami guessed.

"If Hisoka-buchō asks, I didn't say anything." Rei grinned down at her. "You were the one who guessed. When will you be departing?"

"Next week." Ami replied.

"That's quick." Rei was surprised.

"Seven years without me, think you can handle it?" Ami teased.

"The correct question is, can you?" Rei joked back.

"Prat." Ami smacked him on the forearm.

Rei just grinned wider and pulled her into a deep kiss.

* * *

"Rei, stop that." Ami muttered groggily early the following morning, awakening to the playful pinch on her inner thigh.

"That's not what you said last night." Rei teased, rubbing his hand up her thigh and loosing her yukata to reveal his partner's hip.

"You're too frisky this morning, lover." Ami peered open an eye and looked at her smug lover.

"Not my fault my lover is such a sexy woman." Rei smirked and captured her lips in a kiss.

"Too early..." Ami moaned, as Rei peppered her neck with kisses. "Oh god..." her back arched, Rei tugging her yukata loose to suck her bra-covered nipple; the couple having moved onto heavy petting about a month earlier. "Not there..." she muttered, feeling Rei sneak his free hand down between her legs. "Ah..." her breath hitched when her partner rubbed her clitoris with his finger through her panties.

Insert heavy lime but not yet lemon.

* * *

"You certainly pack fast." Rei remarked, surveying the practically empty apartment unit when the couple entered through the door later in the afternoon.

"Most of the furniture were already auctioned off on eBay." Ami explained. "Most of everything else are already shipped to my unit in Los Angeles. This place..." she let out a wistful smile. "Holds a lot of memories. Seven years..." she looked at the silent Rei. "Is a long time. Tonight... will be my last night here, so..."

"Of course." Rei nodded with a smile.

That night, the two lovers took the final step in their relationship and gave themselves to each other; Rei swore he fell in love with her all over again when he forced his eyes open to see Ami's sheer expression of euphoria as she was lost in the pure pleasure.

* * *

"Rei?" the naked Ami stirred from her sex-induced slumber, feeling her lover's futon was empty. Her eyes then settled on the tanned male who was pulling on his pants.

"This is a mistake." Rei told her, giving his partner a side-gaze and buttoning his shirt, almost hating himself for his words.

"Is that so?" Ami whispered, looking away. Her hands tightening on the mattress, she turned back as she fought back her tears. "Get out..." she hissed. "GET OUT!" she screamed.

_Sprite, I'm really sorry._ Rei shut his eyes in apology, shutting the door, his heart shattering when he heard the heartbroken sobs that sounded from the room.  _I know it won't be easy for you to forgive me after this, but... it's the only thing I can do to protect you. So that's why..._ he leaned against the door, his tears rolling down his eyes.  _It doesn't matter if you never forgive me, just know that my heart will always be yours, always..._ exiting the almost empty apartment, he stuck his hands into his pockets and stalked off, as he remembered his undercover assignment briefing with Hisoka.

* * *

_Flashback_

_"Furuya," Hisoka criss-crossed his fingers after Rei read the mission file that was presented to him. "Do you understand your orders?"_

_"Yes sir." Rei nodded._

_"Remember, Furuya, failure is not an option" Hisoka reminded strictly. "Do nothing to jeopardize your mission; cut off all contacts that will and/or might interfere with the mission if you have to."_

_"Sir, even..." Rei frowned._

_"Yes." Hisoka nodded. "Even Mizuno."_

* * *


	12. The Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

It was a busy afternoon at Beika Airport; the air traffic controllers were coordinating the commercial planes landing and taking off.

The airport's sliding glass doors then slid open to reveal Ami with Fumio in one hand, her other hand pulling her luggage along.

"Japan, I'm back." the cyber-security expert remarked, shielding her eyes from the sun with a hand; the sapphire crystal bracelet she wore on her wrist glittered in the sunlight. "Taxi!" she hailed down a cab. Boarding the transport, if one can see closely enough, you can see engraving of the 'Eternal Mercury Harp' on the largest sapphire on the bracelet.

* * *

Elsewhere in different districts in Japan, the other three Inner Senshi hid a smile as the engravings of their 'Eternal Talismans' on their own gemstone accessories lit up with their respective colors. _Welcome back, Mercury Queen._

_And with the Planetary Alliance reformed,_ Eternal Sailor Pluto mused from the Time Gates. _It will form a solid line of defense should Chiba Usagi try to disrupt the original timeline with the Ginzuishou. I have to admit, though, Mercury's rant years ago was a rude wake-up call. The past should remain in the past. There's really no real point recreating the Moon Kingdom in present times. The legacy of the White Moon will die out in this lifetime; Queen Selenity's laws no longer apply. The only oaths that still bind me are the ones I took when Father Chronos bestowed to me my powers._

* * *

"Ikari-buchō." Ami greeted her new department head the next morning.

"Mizuno-fukubuchō." the 35-year-old man returned the greeting. "An impressive work history." he noted. "The America FBI and CIA gave you glowing recommendations. But what I'm more interested in is..." he gave Ami a grin. "The anti-terrorism program you call 'Project Cerebro'."

* * *


	13. Jodie's Memories and the Cherry Blossom Viewing Trap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

"Oh, the sakura are in full bloom." Professor Agasa remarked, scrolling down the stone-path with the Detective Boys. "Going flower-viewing at a shrine's really nice."

"Yeah, and the weather's good, too." Ayumi agreed.

"It's the perfect weather for flower-viewing." Mitsuhiko concurred.

"And those lunches would be perfect in my stomach." Genta drooled.

"Oh, Genta..." Ayumi sighed.

"He really  _would_ go for dumplings over flowers." Mitsuhiko teased.

"Professor, how about we go look around and get our fortunes told and you spread out a sheet and save us a space?" Haibara suggested.

"Right, got it." Professor Agasa nodded.

"What is it?" Haibara inquired, seeing Conan look around as the others ran off. "Weren't you looking for someone?"

"Not really." Conan replied and walked off.

* * *

_I just_ had _to get bad luck, didn't I?_ Conan winced, opening his fortune slip.

"I got 'fairly good luck'." Genta reported.

"I got 'good luck'." Ayumi added.

"I got 'delayed good luck', which isn't too great." Mitsuhiko remarked.

"Then, let's tie up our fortunes." Ayumi looked at the rows of knotted fortunes at the side of the shrine.

"Hey!" Sakamaki Shigemori stopped the three children. "You managed to get good fortunes, so you should take them home with you. You only tie up your fortune to leave bad luck behind and change your luck. Though in recent years, some people have taken up the bad habit of tying up whatever fortune they get."

"Then, Edogawa-kun's the only one who has to tie up his fortune." Haibara mocked.

"So what did you get" Conan asked.

"You really want to know?" Haibara retorted. "If you're so interested, then I guess I'll just have to show you."

"Great luck?" Conan gaped when Haibara showed him her fortune slip.

"But you know, 'bad luck' is really rare." Jodie stated. "So I hear some people take getting it as a sign of good luck. So don't feel disappointed, Cool Kid."

"Jodie-sensei." Conan blinked.

"Hi!" Jodie greeted the kids.

"Are you here to see the flowers too?" Ayumi asked.

"Oh yes." Jodie beamed. "I love sakura."

"That's mainly because I dragged you to the National Sakura Festival in Washington D.C four years ago." Ami stated plainly.

"Jodie-sensei, is she..." Conan looked at the newcomer then at the FBI agent.

"Me?" Ami smiled and revealed her official badge.

"The Public Security Bureau..." Conan gaped.

"Mizuno Ami," the older woman grinned. "The newly instated fukubuchō of the Public Security Bureau's Cyber-Security Department. So," she looked at her partner for the last five years. "This is the kid you and Shishou have been raving about."

"I get it." Haibara noted. "You called her out so you could talk in secret, didn't you? Well, parks and shrines are often used by spies to exchange information. So why don't we give them some space. It looks like they want to have a private talk. But don't forget, you often find Public Security officers watching places like that, so be careful."

"I like her snark." Ami grinned. "Fumio, go with them." she told her son.

"Kay." Fumio nodded.

* * *

"So?" Jodie asked, once they were left alone. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah." Conan nodded. "You said you saw Akai-san with a burn scar, right?"

"It was at that bank robbery." Jodie confirmed.

"That..." Conan started. "That wasn't Akai-san but Bourbon, one of the man in black, in disguise. He was wandering around like that near people who know Akai-san to check whether or not Akai-san was truly dead. Since if the FBI had faked his death, he's know by your reactions. Though on the Bell Tree Express, Vermouth wore the Akai disguise herself, instead of applying it to Bourbon."

"The Bell Tree Express?" Jodie gasped. "You mean they were behind that train bombing?"

"It seems that way." Conan confirmed.

"Hold on..." Jodie grabbed his shoulders. "If that man with the burn scar was one of them, the that means Shu... really is..."

"Jodie," Ami rested a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I'd have wasted four hours at the shooting range if that wasn't the case."

"Then, the next time I see that man with the burn scar prancing around, I'll catch him, rip off his disguise and find out who he really is." Jodie swore.

"I know who he is." Conan cut in. "As well as where you can find him. He calls himself Amuro Tooru." he showed the two women Amuro's photo. "And he works part-time at Cafe Poirot under the Mouri Detective Agency."

"But why?" Jodie gaped.

"I don't know." Conan admitted. "That's why I had you come here. I wanted to have the FBI investigate him. He should have achieved his objective, so why is he still at Poirot?"

"Ami, that guy..." Jodie looked at her companion. "He looks like..."

"Yeah." Ami twitched. "That guy... I'm  _so_ killing that idiot for not telling me."

"Mizuno-san, you know Amuro-san?" Conan wondered.

"You're that foreign lady who was a hostage in that bank robbery just like me, right?" the muffled Benzaki Tohei recognized Jodie. "I was one row behind you to the side." he pulled down his mask. "And it was my wife who covered up your eyes and mouth with tape, don't you remember?"

"I do, kind of." Jodie replied.

"Then was that man with a burn scar next to you your boyfriend?" Tohei inquired.

"He's not." Jodie protested.

"If he isn't, then don't worry." Tohei assured. "I saw him two or three days ago, that's all."

"Where?" Conan demanded. "Where did you see him?"

"Answer the question." Jodie pulled Tohei back.

"A pickpocket!" a shout came. "There's a pickpocket!" Yatani Ikuyo ran through the crowd and knocked Jodie over.

"Are you okay?" Jodie asked.

"You okay, miss?" Ayumi helped Yatani to her feet.

"I'll be fine." Yatani assured. "I was just panicking since someone put their hand in my bag."

"You do often find pickpockets lurking in crowds." Tohei stated.

"Yes." Yatani agreed, before gaping in shock when she saw Tohei. "You're right. I'll have to be more careful. Well then, excuse me." she took off.

"I wonder..." Ami mused outloud.

* * *

"So?" Jodie questioned, the group moving to the chōzuya. "You still can't remember? Where you saw him, I mean."

"Right." Tohei noted. "I was stuck in bed all day yesterday with this cold, so my memory is fuzzy."

"You do have a very hoarse voice." Conan pointed out.

"Then, why don't you raise your mouth with this water, too?" Genta suggested.

"I'll be fine." Tohei assured. "I wouldn't want anyone to catch my cold, and I washed my hands earlier."

"You wouldn't have seen him by a can vending machine selling coffee by any chance, would you?" Jodie asked.

"Did he like canned coffee?" Tohei inquired.

"Well, I'll see him with a black coffee can more often than not." Ami recalled.

"Even back when we were expecting them to attack the hospital at any moment..." Jodie added. "That's enough." she pulled herself out of the memory. "Contract me if you remember, okay?"

* * *

"No, Genta." Mitsuhiko scolded as Genta rang the suzu loudly. "Don't ring it so loudly."

"But dad said I should ring with all my might." Genta protested.

"That's right." Danno Yoriko agreed, ringing the suzu beside the children. "You ring these bells to tell the gods that you're here. So if you don't ring it loud enough, the gods might not notice you, you know?"

"Hey," Haibara voiced. "What sort of man was that Akai guy you were talking about?"

"Why?" Conan asked.

"I get the feeling he greatly resembles someone I know." Haibara replied.

"You're probably just imagining it." Conan chuckled. "Besides, Akai-san's already..."

"What?" a man behind them echoed. "Dead?"

"Yeah." his companion confirmed. "There's a big ruckus about it behind the toilets."

"Professor?" Conan took the call. "What's up?"

"It's terrible Shinichi!" Professor Agasa sounded over the cellphone. "A murder! I just witnessed a murder taking place."

"What?" Conan echoed. "You witnessed a murder?"

"Anyway, come quickly!" Professor Agasa urged. "There's a big crowd forming, so it won't be hard to find."

* * *

"So?" Conan questioned as he, Jodie and Ami hurried over to the gathering crowd. "Did you see the murderer?"

"They were shaded by the trees." Professor Agasa replied. "So I cam just see a silhouette, but they were attacking again and again with a rod about 30 centimeters long."

"Let us through." Jodie pushed through the crowd.

"It can't be!" Ayumi gaped, the others having rushed to the scene and seeing the bludgeoned Yatani laying against the toilet wall.

"That's the lady who ran into sensei earlier." Genta recognized.

"But why?" Mitsuhiko wondered.

"It hasn't been long since she was murdered." Ami slipped on her surgical gloves and gave the dead woman a look-over.

"Five yen coins colored black with a marker pen?" Conan spotted the three coins beside Yatani's hand. "Could it be Kurobee?"

"Kurobee?" Jodie echoed.

"A nickname for a pickpocket." Ami explained.

"She's named that because she puts three black five yen coins into the bags of her victims." Conan added.

"But why do something like that?" Jodie wondered.

"The rumor goes 'five' of five yen coins, the 'black' of the pen and the 'three' of three coins could be read as 'gokurosan'." Conan related.

"So, she's expressing 'thank you' to her victims for earning her money, huh?" Ami frowned.

"Officer, it's here." Professor Agasa led the guard on duty over. " Over here."

"What are you doing?" the officer questioned. "Step away from the body."

"I'm Jodie Starling." Jodie presented her badge. "An FBI agent."

"Mizuno Ami." Ami flashed her identification badge. " Public Security Bureau Cyber-Security."

"Public Security Bureau?" the officer stammered." Madam!" he saluted.

"Seal the exit of this shrine immediately." Ami barked out. "And call for the CID detectives."

"Then, she was murdered by Kurobee?" Jodie turned back to the body.

"No..." Conan corrected, opening the victim's purse to reveal it full of black five yen coins. "She had a purse full of black five yen coins in her bag, which means..."

"She's probably Kurobee herself." Ami came to the same conclusion.

"Look at this bundle of noted wrapped in a rubber band that was in her wallet." Conan removed the stack of notes. "Inside it..." he took out the electric device. "Is that a GSP transmitter? With a phone, you can locate it within five meters."

"But for a pickpocket to have that wrapped in notes in her wallet..." Jodie trailed.

"Probably not hers." Ami concluded.

"Yeah." Conan agreed. "It's likely that one of her victims murdered her."

* * *

"You can't just do this, Jodie-san." Takagi chided. "You may be an FBI agent, but this is Japan, and you're only here because you took a day to fly over here, right? If you go ordering around the Japanese police, think about how it looks for us."

"To be fair, it wasn't Jodie this time." Ami cut in. "That would be me."

"You're the one from the..." Takagi gaped.

"But the crime scene's quite far from the shrine exit, and it hasn't been that long since she was murdered." Ami related. "So, I figured sealing the shrine exit to trap her murderer in. Isn't that right, Edogawa-kun?"

"I guess you did help by giving the right orders." Takagi relented.

"But are you sure?" Megure inquired. "Is this woman really the pickpocket Kurobee that Division Three of the Criminal Investigation Department spent years looking for?"

"I'm pretty sure of it." Conan was certain. "The purse she had was filled with five yen coins colored black with a marker pen."

"Kurobee is said to leave three black five yen coins in her victim's bags." Takagi mused.

"And did you really see Kurobee get beaten to death, Agasa-san?" Megure turned to the Professor.

"Yeah." Professor Agasa nodded. "I witnessed it when passing by after leaving the toilet. But it was dark with the shade from the trees, and at first I thought they were hammering in a post or something."

"Then, what did her killer look like?" Megure continued his questioning.

"All I really saw was their silhouette." Professor Agasa admitted. "Though they were wearing a hat, and holding a thin rod about 30 centimeters long."

"I see." Megure noted. "So that's the murder weapon."

"Did they have any other unusual traits?" Takagi cut in.

"Right..." Professor Agasa recalled. "Now you mention it, they were dragging their feet lightly as they left. I even called out and asked if they were okay."

"Dragging their feet?" Megure echoed.

"Then what did they do?" Takagi pressed.

"They ignored me and walked away, and by the time I realized that they had been beating this woman, they'd already mixed in with the crowd." Agasa replied.

"Inspector, if they were dragging their feet at a situation they should want to run away from..." Takagi whispered to his superior.

"I doubt it would be an act to try avoid suspicion." Megure agreed. "But to find the killer among all the people at this shrine with so few clues..."

"It's nearly impossible." Takagi finished.

"You should be able to narrow it down." Conan interjected. "That woman had something strange in her wallet."

"A GSP transmitter wrapped in bank notes." Jodie offered.

"Why would she have that?" Megure blinked.

"The pickpocket Kurobee has never been caught." Ami explained. "So there's no way to identify her, other than the black five yen coins in your bag. Consider this, if someone deliberately had notes with a transmitter stolen by her, they could easily track her using a mobile phone, wait for Kurobee to go somewhere quiet, ambush her, and then beat her to death."

"Then, the killer is one of Kurobee's victims?" Takagi exclaimed.

"Still, pickpockets often commit thefts in groups, so we can't ignore the possibility of her killer being one of her accomplices." Megure pointed out.

"I think Kurobee is working alone." Conan commented. "She herself yelled out that there was a pickpocket here, after all."

"What do you mean?" Jodie blinked.

"It a common tactic used by pickpockets." Conan explained. "If you heard there was a pickpocket nearby, you'd check your wallet was safe without thinking, right? Pickpockets use it to find where their victims keep their wallets, but if she had accomplices, wouldn't she have one of them yell out instead?"

"And on that line of thought," Ami stated. "Jodie, you might want to check your wallet."

"My wallet is gone!" Jodie searched inside her coat to find her wallet was missing.

"She probably took it when you helped her up." Conan guessed.

"Still if the pickpocket's dead, then how are we going to find her victims?" Megure wondered, turning back to the body."

"Well, that shouldn't take too long." Conan remarked, when his Detective Badge peeped, the other four kids informing him that they had found the stolen wallets in the trash-bins.

"I got it." Takagi realized. "The wallets. Pickpockets just take the money out of wallets, then abandon them, so if we check those wallets..."

"We may be able to find their owners." Megure concluded. "And those four were the only wallets you found in the bins?" he noted, kneeling by the retrieved wallets.

"The blue wallet's mine." Jodie pointed out.

"Then, that makes you a suspect, too." Megure noted.

"It wasn't Jodie-sensei!" Ayumi protested.

"She never left our side after that woman bumped into her." Genta added.

"She didn't have a chance to murder someone!" Mitsuhiko objected.

"That means that the murderer..." Megure mused.

"Is likely the owner of one of the other three wallets." Takagi came to the same conclusion.

"Well, it's easy to tell who owned this wallet." Megure picked up the black wallet. "It has a driving license in it."

"We saw that guy earlier." Genta cut in.

"He talked with Jodie-sensei and Mizuno-fukubuchō." Mitsuhiko added.

"He had a cold, so he was wearing a mask." Ayumi supplied.

"Though I doubt we'll find licenses so easily in the other wallets." Megure remarked, picking up the brown wallet.

"A photo sticker?" Fumio blinked, seeing the photo stick-on.

"We know that lady too!" Ayumi exclaimed.

"She taught us how to ring the bells." Mitsuhiko added.

"Maybe she's still over there?" Genta suggested.

"And the final red wallet is empty except for a 'pretty good luck' fortune..." Megure picked up the last wallet. "I doubt you'll be able to tell who owned that."

"Wouldn't it belong to that old man?" Ayumi wondered outloud.

"He told us to take our good fortunes home, right?" Genta remarked.

"And I saw it." Mitsuhiko added. "I saw him take out that red wallet to buy his fortune when he was lined up in front of us.

"Takagi, go with them." Megure instructed, seeing the three kids ran off to find Sakamaki. "If any of them have a 30 centimeter-long rod, then it'll be the clincher, but..."

"We'll know soon enough even if they don't have a rod." Conan remarked. "The murderer left three black five yen coins by the corpse, as if to say 'you can have them back.' It won't be easy to find distinctive five yen coins like this, right?"

"I see." Jodie grinned. "Then whoever doesn't have the black five yen coins that Kurobee gave them would be the murderer."

* * *

"Before I ask you for your statements could I ask each of you if you have five yen colored black with a marker pen in your pockets or bag?" Megure inquired.

"Five yen colored black?" Tohei echoed.

"Why are these here?" Yoriko dug into her pocket to find the mentioned black five yen coins.

"I have some too." Sakamaki voiced.

"Me too." Tohei added.

"What exactly are these creepy black five yen coins?" Yoriko asked.

"They're souvenirs left by a pickpocket known as Kurobee." Takagi replied.

"I didn't have much in my wallet, so I don't mind losing it." Sakamaki noted. "But have you caught that pickpocket then?"

"The truth is..." Takagi trailed.

"We found her dead body not long ago." Megure turned back to the body. "And we suspect her killer is one of you three. For now, we'd like to conduct body checks on each of you, and inspect your belongings and phones. Of course, it is at your discretion, so you can refuse..."

"But if you do, it may cause trouble later, so we'd advise you to comply." Takagi suggested.

"Jodie-sensei?" Conan looked at the blanked out FBI agent. "Did you figure something out?"

"No." Jodie replied. "I was just thinking of the men in the video you took before. Remember, when we tried to identify the spy they sent to infiltrate the hospital, you deliberately dropped a phone and had them pic it up, right? The fat man who picked it up first had greasy skin. But in the end, the next man to pick it up was the spy, and the last old man had a pacemaker. And that's the phone that Shu..."

"Jodie-sensei, that doesn't matter at all right now, right?" Conan asked.

"Right." Jodie nodded. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just feeling the shock from finding out the man with the burn isn't Shu."

"Kaa-san," Fumio tugged his mother's dress. "Jodie-baa-san is having that look again."

"What look?" Jodie blinked at her 'unofficial' nephew.

"The 'I'm remembering stuff since my most important person isn't here' look." Fumio stated matter-of-factly. "Kaa-san has the same look every Christmas."

"So, how about it, Professor?" Jodie walked over to Professor Agasa. "Is any of those three the killer you saw?"

"That old man with a cane does look very suspicious, but the murderer had a 30 centimeter-long rod, not a cane." Professor Agasa turned to the three suspects. "The hat the killer was wearing wasn't a hunting cap like the old man was wearing or a knit hat like that woman was wearing. But something like an alpinst's hat. And the murderer didn't have a cough like that man there."

"But couldn't he just be faking his cold?" Haibara suggested.

"I doubt that." Conan objected. "When we first met him, he had no way we knew the Professor, right? He wouldn't have had to pretend to have a cold in front of us."

"Then, how about the way they walk, Professor?" Jodie pressed. "You said they dragged their feet slightly, didn't you?"

"Without his cane, it looks like the old man can't walk at all, let alone drag his feet." Professor Agasa conceded. "And the other two don't seem to be dragging their feet at all."

"What?" Megure exclaimed. "You can't find the weapon? Have you checked everywhere?"

"Yes." Chiba nodded. "We even checked the drain of the purification trough and inside the offering box. None of these three were carrying it, then?"

"Right." Megure confirmed. "We checked the old man's cane, but it doesn't seem to have been used as a weapon. And we checked all their phones, but none of them has any app that could track a GPS transmitter. Though the killer could have predicted they'd be checked and deleted it."

"But we need a warrant to conduct any further checks." Chiba reminded.

"Hey, kids." Takagi went over to the Detective Boys. "When you met those three, were any of them acting strangely? For example, if they had someone following them, who handled them some sort of thin rod?"

"All three of them were alone." Ayumi replied. "The old man told us that if we drew good fortunes, we should take them home."

"The woman said that we should ring the bells loudly so that the gods can hear us when we ring them." Genta added.

"The other man said he already washed his hands at the purification trough." Mitsuhiko reported. "So he must've been at the shrine for quite a while before meeting us."

"Inspector Megure!" one of the officers ran in. "We believe we've found the killer's hat and coat. They've got blood splatters on them, so there's no mistaking that."

"They're covered in flower petals." Megure took the hat and examined it.

"They appear to have been hidden under the sakura petals." the officer presented the coat.

"Then the weapon might be hidden in the same way." Megure surmised. "Find it if you have to kick through the petals."

"And they make such a pretty pink carpet." Ayumi whined, the officers running off.

"That's right." Haibara concurred. "They may be small, by themselves, but when many petals fall, they're almost like a pink carpet."

_I see._ Conan smirked.  _So that's what happened. That's why that person said_ that  _to the kids. Which means the reason they dragged their feet was probably..._

* * *

"Inspector Megure!" Takagi ran back. "It's getting difficult to keep the shrine's exit sealed. Any luck with the murder weapon?"

"Unfortunately, it hasn't been found yet." Megure replied.

"Maybe the killer already escaped with the murder weapon." Takagi suggested.

"No," Megure objected. "Taking into account the time between the murder and when we sealed the exit, and that the culprit was dragging their feet, it's very likely that the killer's still on the ground of the shrine. They must have hidden the roughly 30 centimeter-long rod that Agasa-san saw somewhere."

"That means the three people who were pick-pocketed are the best suspects after all." Takagi concluded.

"And since we found a GPS transmitter hidden in the notes of the wallet of the murdered pickpocket, it must be like Mizuno-fukubuchō said; the killer let their wallet with the GPS transmitter get stolen, tracked the thief and killed her in a deserted location."

"But none of the three seem to have any problem with their feet." Takagi noted. "And it seems the old man needs his cane to walk, not because his feet are hurting. And if we assume that the killer had an accomplice and slipped them the murder weapon, we would have to search everyone who came to this shrine to watch the flower blossoms."

"There's no need for that." Professor Agasa stated, Conan using his voice-changing bow-tie to mimic the Professor's voice. "There's one part of the murder weapon that the killer still has on them. The killer used it to tie together the murder weapon."

"The weapon you saw was in one piece, right?" Jodie reminded. "It wasn't tied together or anything."

"The killer constructed the murder weapon using a large quantity of a certain object." Professor Agasa remarked. "And even if you find the many parts, they're hidden in such a way that they aren't suspicious. Approaching the kids, they managed to camouflage their actions smoothly."

"Do you mean the old man who talked to us when we were drawing fortunes?" Ayumi guessed.

"But no matter how you tie fortunes together, you can't make a weapon that can beat a person to death, right?" Haibara shot the suggestion down.

"Then you mean that man?" Ayumi suggested. "The man who refused to ladle Genta-kun tried handing him when we were washing our hands."

"There were lots of ladles at the purification trough." Mitsuhiko put in his two cents. "If you slip a ladle with an iron handle in there..."

"The police would have found that, don't you think?" Haibara deathpanned.

"It goes without saying that there was no such ladle in there." Takagi supplied.

"That only leaves the lady we met when we were ringing the bell." Ayumi recalled.

"Didn't you guys do something else before ringing the bell?" Conan reminded.

"The offering!" Ayumi exclaimed.

"Yup." Conan nodded. "Due to the saying 'May you find good ties and good fortune.', most of the offerings are five yen coins, which have a hole in the center."

"I see." Haibara realized. If you pass a wire or string through the hole and bind a lot of coins together, you get a long rod. What's more, even if you find a large quantity of five yen coins in the offering box afterwards, they're mixed up with the other offerings and not suspicious, which means it easily deceives the police, who are looking for a long metallic rod."

"But in order to produce a 30 centimeter-long rod, you' need around 200 five yen coins." Takagi pointed out.

"And if you throw such a large quantity of coins into the box, you'll stand out and people around you will certainly notice." Megure added.

"That is why the killer approached the children." Conan, still using Professor Agasa's voice, continued. "Saying the gods wouldn't hear them if they don't ring the bell loudly."

"Then..." Takagi stammered.

"The killer is..." Megure gaped.

"Right." Professor Agasa confirmed. "You found her through a GPS transmitter in the wallet you had stolen, then bashed her to death with a rod made from many five yen coins tied together. The killer of Ikuyo Yatani-san, or rather the pickpocket Kurobee, is none other than you: Danno Yoriko-san. You called out the kids to ring the bell loudly to hide the noise of lots of five yen coins clanking into the offering box. You untied the knot tying the five yen coins together, then holding the end of it, dangling it over the offering box, you could get rid of all the five yen coins in an instant. What's more, the murder occurred before you rang the bell. Meaning that as a victim of the pickpocket, your wallet must already been stolen. The fact you apparently made an offering and rang the bell without noticing that is proof that you were lying."

"You certainly would have noticed that your purse had been stolen when you tried to take it out to make an offering." Megure agreed.

"Don't you know that you shouldn't open your wallet in front of the offering box?" Yoriko shrugged. "If the gods see the contents of your wallet, it might anger them, because you have so much an yet put in so little. That is why I always put a five yen coin in my pocket before visiting the shrine."

"And that's why you didn't notice your wallet had been stolen, right?" Professor Agasa noted.

"Exactly." Yoriko replied. "If you'd seen me put a large amount of five yen coins into the box, that might mean something, but like this?"

"Even if I didn't see it, I can be sure." Professor Agasa was certain. "If we take a look at your shoelaces. Most likely, you used one of your shoelaces to tie the coins together. That's why you couldn't immediately flee from the crime scene. One of your shoelaces was missing, so you'd have lost your shoe if you'd walked normally. It seems that you put your shoelace back in and tied it after ringing the bell, but if you used that shoelace for committing the crime, it should be there. The victim's blood, that spurted when you killed her."

"If you'll excuse me." Takagi knelt down and rolled up Yoriko's pants. "I found bloodstains."

"But why did she still have her black five yen coins?" Megure wondered. "Weren't the five yen coins beside the body the ones Kurobee had left in your pocket when she stole your wallet."

"Those were the coins I showed to you earlier." Yoriko admitted.

"Then what were those coins?" Megure asked.

"The ones left behind were the ones I found in my pocket when I was pick-pocketed last year." Yoriko admitted. "The five yen coins that killed my son! The wallet that was stolen last year also had my car keys. Because I didn't have them anymore, my son, who had asthma, was locked in the car for several hours. By the time we got to the hospital, it was too late, and he died. So I researched that pickpocket on the net and hung out in places where she frequently appeared."

"But why did you put that photo in your wallet?" Takagi wondered. "If it hadn't been in your wallet, we might not have known it was yours."

"The photo was the first thing you see when you open the wallet, right?" Ami explained. "What Yoriko-san wanted the pickpocket to see is probably..."

"I just wanted her to see that what she stole wasn't just money, but also the life of a little boy." Yoriko broke down.

* * *

"Hey, mister." Conan approached Tohei after Yoriko was led off. "Do you happen to have bad eyesight?"

"Why did you ask?" Tohei asked.

"Because when that pickpocket lady saw your face, she was surprised." Conan stated. "I think that's because she stole your wallet earlier. But why didn't you say anything at that time? It must've been your second time meeting her, after all."

"That's it." Tohei fibbed. "My eyesight is bad."

"If your eyesight is bad, you should wear eyeglasses, or you won't see the sakura." Genta pointed out.

"Did you come to the flower-viewing by yourself?" Ayumi asked.

"Actually, I came to buy a good luck charm." Tohei admitted.

"It's for me, isn't it?" the pregnant Benzaki Motoe entered the scene. "For the little one, you know."

"Then, were you the person who taped me up during the bank robbery?" Jodie asked.

"Were you the foreigner from back then?" Motoe realized. "I'm so sorry. But we were threatened, so I had no choice..."

"Are you okay?" Jodie inquired when Motoe suddenly fell on her; unbeknownst to her, Motoe sneaked out the hearing aid her partner had slipped into Jodie's folded sleeve earlier on.

"Morning sickness is a condition that you have in the first stage of pregnancy, right?" Haibara looked up at the lone mother in the group after the Benzaki couple walked off.

"That's right." Ami confirmed. "But looking at her size, I'll say she's at least six months pregnant."

"Couldn't the nausea be caused by something else?" Conan suggested.

"I wonder." Ami mused, her mouth quirking up in a slow, secretive smile. _You're_ so _busted, Rei._

* * *


	14. The Perils of Fatherhood, or Answering Questions A Six-Year-Old Shouldn't Be Asking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Two weeks after...

"Tou-san...?" Fumio yawned, awakening to find his father by his bedside. "Did you stay last night?"

"Yeah." Amuro nodded. "Now, get up. Your mother's preparing breakfast."

"Kay." Fumio replied and got off his bed.

Amuro looked on as his son proceeded to make his bed, the older man recalling the conversation he had with Ami the previous night.

* * *

_Flashback_

_"Here, kaa-san." Fumio handed his empty rice bowl to his mother._

_"Thank you." Ami took the bowl from her son who then ran off to the living room to continue his game on his PSP._

_"Do you need help?" Amuro asked, raising from his seat._

_"Just clean out the rice cooker." Ami instructed. "I'm blaming you if our son cracks any 'Is the food loading' jokes, you know that, right Tooru?" she asked her partner who was cleaning out the cooker's inner bowl._

_"And why's that?" Amuro asked amusedly._

_"You bought him a PSP for his birthday." Ami deathpanned. "He just turned six, Tooru!"_

_"A PSP is always better than TV game cartridges." Amuro defended. "Besides," he grinned. "It's the father's job to cultivate the son's gaming habits." setting the clean inner bowl on the counter, he added. "I know I haven't been part of either your or Fumio-kun's lives for the last seven years; at the very least, let me make it up to the two of you."_

_"It's getting late." Ami stated, glancing at the wall clock after the two parents tucked their son into bed. "I think it'll be best if you stayed over tonight."_

_"Would it be alright?" Amuro wondered._

_"It'll be fine." Ami assured. "Oh yeah." she started. "I owe you seven years of Valentine Days chocolate, don't I?"_

_"Ami, you don't have to..." Amuro tried to protest, following her to the kitchen._

_"Ah!" Ami chirped, pulling out the unopened chocolate box from the refrigerator. "Found it. The guys back in America got this as a farewell gift, but you know me. I'm never a chocolate fan myself." untying the pale green ribbon from the chocolate box, she took out a bourbon chocolate ball and bit into half of it before feeding the other half to the puzzled Amuro._

_The blonde man chewed slowly at the confectionery, savoring the namesake of his code-name as he swallowed the chocolate. Could it be... he frowned. "How much do you know?" he hissed at his lover._

_"Enough." Ami replied. "More than enough in fact; Edogawa-kun had been very forthcoming. Just how long do you intend to keep something as big as this from me?" she demanded. "Don't I, at the very least, deserve to know just what you're getting yourself into? I..."_

_"I'm sorry." Amuro whispered, pulling her into a hug. "I thought I would be protecting you if I kept you away. But instead, you're hurting because of my silence."_

_"I'll be fine." Ami assured. "Just... try not to take unnecessary risks."_

_"Right." Amuro nodded and sealed the promise with a kiss._

* * *

Later after school...

"Ne tou-san." Fumio looked up from the counter of Cafe Poirot over to his father who was working.

"What is it, Fumio-kun?" Amuro asked.

"Since your eyes are blue, does that mean you see everything in blue?" the first-grader inquired.

"Your eyes are also blue, Fumio-kun." Amuro leaned over the counter top. "Do you see everything in blue?"

Fumio thought for a while and nodded before turning back to his homework.

"I can tell he's definitely your son, Amuro-san." Azusa whispered to her co-worker.

"For a six-year-old to be asking such an abstract question, I dare not think what other questions he'll be asking when he's older." Amuro admitted.

* * *

Later in the afternoon in the supermarket...

"Tou-san," Fumio voiced from the child seat of the shopping cart and seeing Amuro retrieve a pack of ham slices from the freezer compartment. "What is ham made out of?"

Amuro blinked and placed the pack into the cart. "From a pig."

"It's a pig?" Fumio tilted his head.

"It's a slice of dead pig." Amuro clarified.

"You kill the pig?" Fumio echoed. "And slice it up?"

"Not me, per say." Amuro replied, trying his best to explain in words that a six-year-old would understand. "There are factories that do that."

"So ham is a dead pig?" Fumio asked.

"That's right." Amuro nodded.

"Can I have some?" Fumio inquired.

Amuro fought back a grin, "Tell you what, when we get back, I'll make the sandwiches I used to make when I was dating your mother."

* * *

Later that evening...

"Do you know our son asks the most thought-provoking questions?" Amuro asked Ami after dinner.

"Already experienced that, did you?" Ami teased, clearing the plates. "Did you know that he already asked the 'Where do babies come from' question last year?"

"Now, did he?" Amuro was intrigued. "How did you answer him?"

"By being as frank as possible." Ami grinned. "I simply gave him the clinical version of the 'Birds and Bees' talk. Well, now he knows what a tampon is for and stopped asking. Just wait for the planetarium school trip." her grin widened. "He'll be asking questions like 'Why is the sun a circle and not a triangle?' or 'Why is the sun a big ball of fire?'"

* * *


	15. The Planetarium School Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

"Hm..." Ami let out a low moan, Amuro was spooned behind her with his arm draped over her waist. "Tooru..." she mumbled, the arm over her waist tightened into a hug as the naked male behind her pulled her closer to his chest.

"Can we stay like this for awhile longer?" Amuro nuzzled his lover's neck, his fingers trailing lightly over her exposed hip.

"You  _have_ been holding off for the last seven years, haven't you?" Ami teased, turning to face her awakening partner.

"You can tell?" Amuro chuckled.

"As if the almost filled condom in the trash bin isn't evidence enough..." Ami grinned. "Stop that!" she smacked Amuro's wandering hand off her thigh.

"That wasn't what you screamed last night." Amuro smirked.

"Oh, hush." Ami blushed.

* * *

_God, who knew he'll be so insatiable after seven years of abstinence..._ Ami blushed, brushing her teeth as she recalled the intense  _and_ explosive lovemaking the previous night.

"Your face is red, Sprite." Amuro pointed out. "Still thinking about last night?" his eyes holding a heated gaze as he leaned against the bathroom door frame in his underwear as he watched his other half raise out her mouth. "Then, how about a morning quickie?"

"The last time you said that, you were late for your morning shift." Ami reminded, foaming her facial wash. "Besides," she kissed his cheek after her morning routine. "Today's Fumio's school trip to the planetarium."

"You don't have to remind me." Amuro muttered. "Hey, let me prepare Fumio-kun's bento lunch." he offered.

"Sure." Ami replied.

* * *

"Character bento?" Ami noted with amusement when she watched her taller partner pack their son's lunch box. "And is that... Kamen Yaiba?"

"Don't you know?" Amuro grinned. "It's the fad among Fumio-kun's age group these days; there are things our son only reveals to his father."

"Already getting used to father-son bonding?" Ami teased.

"Honestly, I'm hoping Fumio-kun would get  _used_ to me." Amuro admitted.

"Speaking of Fumio, you  _do_ realize this school trip includes Edogawa-kun's class, too, right?" Ami reminded. "And it'd only be a matter of time before one of Edogawa-kun's group mates notice just  _who_ Fumio resembles and puts two and two together. What would you do when your cover gets busted?"

"I'll cross the bridge when it comes to that, I suppose." Amuro replied.

"About Edogawa-kun," Ami added. "Do you know how Fumio describes him? He says Edogawa-kun is 'an adult trapped in a child's body.'"

"Interesting perspective," Amuro admitted. "And I won't say Fumio-kun's wrong; I get that vibe off Conan-kun too."

* * *

Later in the day...

"Hey, look." Ayumi whispered, pointing to someone to their far left, the large group of students were now seated in the large dome amphitheater as the staff prepared to play the in-house star projection show.

"Doesn't he look like..." Mitsuhiko wondered, the group's eyes turned to Fumio. "Amuro-san."

"You're right." Genta gaped.

"Oi, Edogawa-kun." Haibara nudged.

"I know." Conan hissed.  _That kid... I've seen him frequent Poirot for a few months now after school and Amuro-san seems quite friendly with him. I wonder..._

* * *

During lunch break...

"Sugoi, a Kamen Yaiba bento." Genta gushed, the Detective Boys gathered around Fumio. "Did your mother make this?"

"No," Fumio looked up from his lunchbox. "Tou-san did."

"Genta-kun," Ayumi chided. "Don't be rude. I'm Yoshida Ayumi, Class 1-B."

"Kojima Genta," Genta introduced himself. "From the same class."

"Also from the same class," Mitsuhiko took his turn. "Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko."

"Haibara Ai." Haibara muttered. "Also from the same class."

"I am..." Conan started.

"Edogawa Conan." Fumio cut in. "I know, tou-san mentioned you."

"Your tou-san?" Conan echoed. "Then..."

"Yeah." Fumio put down his chopsticks. "My father is Amuro Tooru."

"I knew it!" Mitsuhiko exclaimed.

"No way!" Ayumi gasped. "Then, what's your name?"

"Mizuno Fumio." Fumio replied. "Class 1-D."

"Mizuno?" Mitsuhiko asked. "But I thought Amuro-san is your father."

"My parents..." Fumio answered. "Aren't married. My kaa-san gave birth to me while she was working in America."

"I see." Mitsuhiko nodded. "Can we sit here?" he asked, pointing to the empty table.

"Sure." Fumio nodded and the Detective Boys took their seats at the table Fumio occupied.

"So, what is your kaa-san working as?" Genta asked, taking out his own lunchbox.

"I'm not very sure, really." Fumio admitted. "Kaa-san doesn't diverge very much about her work, but from what I can guess, she's works in law enforcement."

"A detective for the police? And a woman too?" Ayumi gushed. "That's so cool!"

No, you're wrong, Ayumi-chan. Conan mentally corrected. His mother is a Public Security Bureau officer. But if that's the case, won't that also make Amuro-san... no, he shook his head. It's too early to conclude that; I'll need more information.

"Oh no!" Fumio gasped when a glass jar rolled out from his open school bag.

"Here." Haibara caught the jar before it dropped to the ground.

"Thank you, Haibara-san." Fumio blushed slightly and reclaimed the jar.

"What's that in the jar?" Ayumi asked, before Fumio could put the container back into his school bag. "It looks so pretty."

"Oh, this." Fumio replied. "Kaa-san's homemade honeysuckle jelly."

"Honeysuckle jelly?" the Detective Boys chorused.

"Yes." Fumio nodded. "Kaa-san said when she was pregnant with me, her cravings included mostly flower infusion foods. She also said honeysuckle and lavender jellies helped to 'tame' her more... unreasonable food carvings until Jodie-baa-san or Camel-jii gets the food she wants."

"Your kaa-san knows Jodie-sensei?" Mitsuhiko pressed.

"Yes." Fumio replied. "Jodie-baa-san is kaa-san's closest friend when she was working in America. And from what I've heard, Jodie-baa-san was with kaa-san when she gave birth to me"

"Can we have a taste?" Genta inquired, already drooling.

"Genta..." the rest of the Detective Boys sighed in unison.

* * *

"How's the school trip today, Fumio-kun?" Amuro asked his son later that afternoon in Cafe Poirot. With Ami working full time at the Public Security Bureau, Amuro had made use of his part-time job at the cafe to look after Fumio after school; after all, that way, it was better for Fumio than being a latchkey kid.

"Boring." Fumio replied. "They only showed the in-house star projection show. The staff weren't as informative as those in America."

"Is that so?" Amuro remarked.

"Before I forget, tou-san." Fumio pulled out the honeysuckle jelly jar from his school bag. "This is from kaa-san."

"So, this is what she eats to curb her pregnancy carvings." Amuro grinned, putting the jar away.

"Tou-san," Fumio looked up at his father. "Edogawa-san and his group had approached me during lunch today and started asking questions."

"Questions?" Amuro echoed.

"Yes." Fumio nodded and related to the older male what had happened.

* * *

"Told you Edogawa-kun will start prodding sooner or later." Ami stated as the couple washed up after dinner, after Amuro told her what Fumio had recounted to him that afternoon. "That kid's  _way_ too perspective for his own good."

* * *


	16. Turning To A Gold-Digger Wife

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

About two years before present time...

Chiba Mamoru sighed in relief when he found the final divorce decree to his mail box; after marrying for four years, and filing for divorce on the fifth year, he was finally free from the money-leeching Tsukino Usagi. _What had gone wrong?_ The 30-year-old male wondered. They were happy during the first year of their marriage, but the reincarnated Earth Prince had sensed his wife's discontent had risen once again when they met up with Mizuno Ami and her beau during that ill-fated Tanabata Festival. Her dissatisfaction was made worse when the rumors ran rampant throughout their neighborhood about Kumada Yuuichirou, the heir to the affluent Kumada Holdings, introducing Hino Rei as his future wife.

Usagi had raged for hours within the couple's bedroom when the rumor was confirmed to be true; _it was not fair,_ she had fumed. _This was_ not _supposed to happen! The girls should've been miserable without me! Even Rei... the_ one _person expected to be by my side, is now going to get happily married to someone rich! And me..._ she looked around at the demolished bedroom. _The amount Mamoru earns in a month is merely cheap pittance compared of what Yuuichirou can earn in a day. Why couldn't I have that? Yes..._ she let out a slow smile. _Why shouldn't I be entitled to that good life?_ It was then when Usagi decided she would 'help' Mamoru climb the social ladder.

It was six months later when Usagi put her plan into action.

* * *

At first, Usagi had started out small; organizing parties for the women in their middle-class neighborhood and playing the devoted and dutiful wife, pulling the wives of the more influential company servicemen aside and nudging Mamoru's name card to them, hinting not-so-subtly for them to put a good word for Mamoru in front of their husbands. Her plan had then began paying off when Mamoru was later poached over to a more influential company with a higher position and a better paycheck.

And it was at the next gathering when Usagi flaunted her new Jimmy Choo heels to her guests.

* * *

But then, as Mamoru steadily climbed the corporate ladder, Usagi found herself getting addicted to partying and she started spending more than what Mamoru earned: her middle-sized gatherings had turned into lavish parties where she allowed herself to indulge in luxuries that included Armand de Brignac champagne, France designer brand clothes and diamond jewelry.

"I'm doing this for you, Mamo-chan." she cooed, when Mamoru found out about her lavish parties and told her to cut back on her extravagant spending. "You need good connections if you want to climb the corporate ladder, you know."

It was about three years into their marriage when Mamoru discovered that Usagi had changed; whenever they went out for dinner, she had insisted on dining at high-class restaurants and ordering the most expensive menu item to show off her new wealth.

Mamoru also found that Usagi had grown irrationally jealous; she would create a ruckus whenever she thought a woman was making eyes and flirting with him. His female co-workers would more often than not, find death threats issued against them, warning them to 'keep your distance from _my_ Mamo-chan if you know what's good for you'.

"No tip." she would insist, pulling back the dollar bills Mamoru had forked over to pay and counting out the exact change, she smacked the exact amount on the payment counter rudely.

* * *

About four months later, Mamoru came home to find Usagi rummaging through the drawers.

"Money!" the blond searched frantically. "Money! There's no money! I know!" she grinned, pulling out the mortgage to their house. "We can take out a second mortgage."

"Hey, Usako!" Mamoru voiced from the opened door.

"Is something wrong?" Usagi scoffed. "Or do you want a divorce instead? I only married you so that I can become Queen of Earth!" she retorted. "You can't give me what I want anyway, now that Crystal Tokyo's nothing more than a pipe dream. So, I'll just squeeze whatever money out of you and find someone else richer to sponsor me after the divorce."

That sentence alone was the final straw broke the camel's back and Mamoru wasted no time in filing for a divorce.

* * *


	17. Senshi Reunion aka It's Catch-Up Time, Ladies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.  
> Virtual cookie for anyone who can guess which anime/manga Makoto's and Minako's lovers are from.

Time passes...

"Fumio-kun, what are you listening to?" Amuro asked, seeing his son listening to his I-pod.

"It's a new song Godmother Michiru composed for her and Godmother Haruka's revival concert." Fumio replied. "By the way, tou-san, here." he took out a concert ticket from his schoolbag.

"Tickets to the 'Tenoh Haruka and Kaioh Michiru Second Revival' concert?" Amuro echoed in plain amazement when Fumio passed the ticket over to his father.

"Hm mm." Fumio nodded.

"And how did you know such famous musicians?" Amuro asked.

"They're my joint godmothers." Fumio replied plainly.

* * *

The next day...

"Seriously!?" Conan was surprised when Fumio handed him and the Detective Boys the stack of concert tickets. "Tickets to the 'Tenoh Haruka and Kaioh Michiru Second Revival' concert? Haibara's their big fan. " he gave the stoic girl a knowing grin.

"Edogawa-kun..." Haibara glared.

"Er..." Fumio started. "It's a symphony performance, so..."

"We know." Conan assured. "Suits and dresses, right?"

* * *

Later that weekend...

"Tou-san!" a suited-up Fumio opened the door eagerly to let his father enter.

"Fumio-kun." Amuro greeted his son. "Are the two of you ready?"

"Kaa-san!" Fumio called to Ami's locked room.

"Coming!" Ami answered. "Hey." she smiled at her partner.

"Hey yourself." Amuro returned the smile. "Shall we go?"

* * *

"Ami-chan!" Minako squealed, giving the arriving woman a big hug. "Fumio-kun!" she turned to the boy. "Look at you, you've grown so big already!"

"Minako-baa..." Fumio stammered. At Minako's glare, he corrected himself, "Mina-nee-san."

"Mina-chan, stop hogging the kid." Rei chided. "Good evening, kiddo."

"Konbanwa, Rei-baa-san." Fumio beamed.

"Oi, oi oi." Kuwabara Kazuma remarked, seeing the females cluster around Fumio. "Is that normal?"

"Leave them be, Kuwabara-san." Yuuichirou remarked. "The girls haven't seen each other for a very long time."

"It's how they bond, Kuwabara-san." Date Seiji agreed.

"It's just like how females don't understand how males bond, we males won't understand how they bond." Amuro quipped. "Amuro Tooru." he introduced himself, reaching out his hand for a handshake.

"Date Seiji." Seiji returned the handshake. "Engaged to one Kino Makoto."

"Kuwabara Kazuma," Kuwabara introduced himself. "Aino Minako's manager."

"And underground lover to Aino-san. I would know, when my relationship with Rei came into the open, we were hounded by the paparazzi too." Yuuichirou gave a knowing smirk to the flustered Kuwabara. "Kumada Yuuichirou, married to the former Hino Rei."

"Should we consider ourselves lucky that neither us nor our ladies are in the public's eye?" Amuro wondered outloud to Seiji.

"Agreed." Seiji concurred.

* * *

Backstage...

"Yo." Haruka greeted her visitors.

"Godmothers." Fumio smiled at his two godmothers.

"Heh?" Rei, Makoto and Minako chorused in disbelief. "But..." the three women turned to the amused Ami.

"I thought I had first dibs being godmother, Ami!" Makoto protested.

"By the way, did you all hear about Mamoru-san?" Rei asked.

"Fumio-kun?" Amuro looked at his son who had exited from the backstage preparation room. "What's wrong? Won't you inside with your mother?"

"Kaa-san is being all girly and gossipy with the others." Fumio shuddered, causing the four men to look at each other and stifle back a chuckle.

* * *

"Mouri-sensei." Amuro greeted the detective and his family at the entrance of the symphony hall.

"Amuro-kun." Mouri Kogoro returned. "You got tickets too?"

"Well," Amuro smiled. "Let's just say Fumio-kun has both Tenoh Haruka and Kaioh Michiru as his godmothers."

"Seriously?" Conan echoed.

"Otou-san," Ran reminded. "It's time go in."

"Right." Kogoro nodded. "Then, we'll see each other later, Amuro-kun."

* * *

Outside in the car-park of the concert hall...

The former Chiba Usagi was hiding behind a parked car as she stalked her ex-husband who had arrived at the concert venue with the woman he had been dating for the last nine months.

Oh, when the final divorce decree from the courts came down, she had shrugged it off dismissively, confident that she would still have much richer sponsors lining up to support her; after all, any man who could not provide for and spoil her was not a man of any worth, so she would just ditch him and find someone else who can give her the lifestyle she wants . But Mamoru had burnt that bridge when he outed her as a gold-digger and a chronic party addict on social media. The well-off men who had once been all-so-swarming over her had left her high and dry with no support, monetary or otherwise.

So, she changed her attack plan, targeting richer, _married_ men, convinced that with her allure, she would be able to get them to dump their wives for her. She is the reincarnation of Princess Serenity after all, heiress to the most powerful kingdom in the Solar System and that's why she is entitled to having the lifestyle she used to have as Princess Serenity.

_I won't have to live like this if I were Neo-Queen Serenity!_ She fumed. _Damn that weakling Chiba for not giving me what I deserve! And damn that traitor Mizuno for walking out on me! Me! Her Princess, her liege!_ Then her eyes widened when she saw Mamoru walk up to the traitor and her friends to greet the group. _How dare they be happy without me?_ She seethed. _So what if I intend to build my own happiness on the Senshi's misery? So what if the Senshi aren't happy? They aren't supposed to be happy! My happiness should be their top-most priority, and only mine, not theirs. I can only be happy if I get what I want and being Queen and ruler of Earth is exactly what I deserve!_

* * *

"Mamoru-san?" Rei recognized Mamoru as he approached the gathered group with his date.

"Kumada-san." Mamoru nodded in acknowledgment. "My date and girlfriend for the last six months, Beriru Katsumi."

"Beriru?" Makoto's eyebrows narrowed. "Mamoru-san, isn't that the equivalent to..."

"She isn't who you think she is." Mamoru assured.

"Guys, isn't it time we went in?" Minako reminded.

* * *

After the concert...

"How did all of you meet?" Haruka asked, the reunited group lounging in the back room.

The three unmarried couples looked at each other and back at their hostess.

"Work mates." Amuro replied.

"Actually, we met in school." Ami corrected. "This idiot," she gave Amuro a playful punch on the arm, the couple was cuddling on the love couch. "Only confessed four years later."

"Hey, I saved you, didn't I?" Amuro smiled. "And it got me you."

"Tou-san and kaa-san are being cute again!" Fumio pointed at his parents.

"It's a sweet story, really." Seiji admitted, the blond sitting on the arm rest of the sofa chair Makoto was sitting in and playing with the pâtissière's ponytail. "I was on my way back from a kendo match when the sweet scent of raisin croissants whiffed into my nose and lured me into this cozy, homely bakery where, lo and behold!" he gave Makoto a tender smile. "Through the glass pane that separated the counter and the kitchen, I see this beauty behind the metal counter kneading her dough."

"Raisin croissants were always your weakness." Makoto grinned.

"Ours..." Minako looked up at Kuwabara, the couple was sprawled on the carpeted floor. "Started off as a strictly manager-rising starlet relationship."

"However, there are people who aren't too happy about Mina's rapid rise in show biz and would often 'invent'... ugly gossip about her and spread it via social media." Kuwabara added. "Some even convinced their own fans to act as stalkers and try to dig up whatever dirt that could be used against Mina. Sometimes, it had gotten so bad that we had to apply for a protection order against some of the very persistent fans."

"Kazuma saved me from being killed more than once." Minako looked at her lover gratefully. "It wasn't until one almost car accident, which I _just_ know was staged, that I realized that my feelings had shifted from being strictly professional to something more."

"What happened?" Haruka went into protective-mama-bear mode.

"I was merely crossing the road at the traffic light when I felt I was being pushed and I stumbled onto the road."Minako related. "Then suddenly, the car that should've stopped because it was still a red light, accelerated for _no reason whatsoever_ and closed in on me. Kazuma quickly pulled me back to my feet and out of the danger zone."

* * *


	18. When An Erotomanic Stalker Turns Murderous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

_Why doesn't he love me?_ Usagi pouted as she watched her current target for the past three months leave his mansion. _I'm prettier, slimmer, younger and sexier than his wife. How could he choose HER over me? I deserve to have the lifestyle he provides more than she does! He should just leave his wife and marry me already!_

* * *

Three months earlier...

Usagi had pestered a former fling for an invitation to the Annual 'Pink Ball Charity Gala' where she first met Hiedki Nobou. The moment the Human Resource Department Head had 'saved' her from stumbling over an overlapping fold in the carpet, their eyes met and Usagi inwardly swooned at the power those steely, gray eyes held. Muttering her thanks, the blond spent the rest of the night trying to catch Hiedki's eye, only to back off on her very-obvious eye fluttering when she saw the older man was accompanied by his wife.

Once back in her rented apartment, Usagi wasted no time in researching the man she was certain was her soulmate. Her eyes then widened when her search revealed that he was the Human Resource Department Head of an international software corporation and married for almost two years. Her imagination went wild as she fantasized injecting herself into his life. He would be so infatuated by her that he would file for divorce instantly and marry her without a second thought.

Oh, she had seen how the other women like her worked and had successfully nabbed their intended targets. But what Usagi did not known was that the other girls did more than just hang on their sugar daddies' arms and look pretty; they were someone their men can actually bring into their high-end parties and strike up intelligent conversations with the other women. They had polished manners that made them seem they were part of high society and not the gold-diggers they are.

Usagi, on the other hand, had scoffed at the idea of upgrading herself. It was too much work, she rationalized, completely confident that her looks alone would enable her to nab a wealthy husband.

* * *

Over the following month, Usagi started stalking Hiedki obsessively, taking notes of his schedule and habits and trying to find some place for herself to fit in. She even located and befriended him on social media. Then, once they were on friendly terms, Usagi's obsession began to escalate and she started stexting Hiedki.

But when Hiedki refused her 'so-called' advances by blocking her on social media, Usagi started to attack from another direction: she would pressurize Hiedki's wife into leaving the marriage. And so, began the stalker campaign against the one Usagi saw as the main obstacle to her happiness.

Over the following week, Kazumi was bombarded by emails threatening her life, her marriage, her safety, and declaring that Tsukino Usagi was her husband's one true love and that she (Kazumi) was nothing to him.

One email in particular, expressly stated: You're replaceable. Don't you see this? He is obsessed with me, I am his treasure princess, you are nothing. Watch your back.

As if that was not enough, Usagi began making harassing phone calls to the Hiedki household.

Slapped with a restraining order from Hiedki's lawyers, Usagi's mind became unhinged and she began taking an even more sadistic approach to force Kazumi out. She signed up for several sex-related chat rooms and began to impersonate Kazumi and leaving several personal ads under Kazumi's name, stating that she fantasized about being sexually assaulted by men and even attached the Hiedki's address to these ads. To make matters worse, she even created a fake email address under Kazumi's name, and whenever anyone contacted her, Usagi would provide instructions about how to bypass the security system and break into the couple's room.

* * *

After three months of 'wooing', Usagi decided that she would have to take matters into her own hands and made one final play. Somehow procuring a handgun, despite not having a license to own a firearm, she hailed a taxi and had the driver take her to the Hiedki residence.

Once at the doorstep, the obsessed blond rang the doorbell. When Kazumi answered the door, she was met by the barrel of the handgun in Usagi's possession.

"I told you to watch your back." the deranged blond sneered. "With you gone, Nobou-kun will have no choice but to marry me. I'll replace you as mistress of this house!" she crowed and pulled the trigger, emptying the revolver of its bullets.

At the sound of bullets being fired, the Hiedki's neighbors alerted the police department.

With the main obstacle to her happiness gone, the giddy Usagi skipped into the large house she was sure she would soon be mistress of and made her way to the wine cellar. "Shall we have a toast, Nobou-kun." she giggled, pouring a glass of Moscato white wine. "To our new life."

Half an hour later, when the police officers burst into the mansion, they found, to their amazement, Usagi sipping her glass of white wine.

"Oh, guests?" the unperturbed Usagi raised her glass at the police officers. "Please, come and sit." she gestured. "Let's celebrate my..."

"Tsukino Usagi, you are under arrest!" the leading officer barked, her partner taking out her handcuffs. "You have the right to remind silent."

"I am under arrest?" Usagi quirked an eyebrow, amused. "And what am I guilty of? I merely removed the interloper to my happiness."

"Enough!" the lead officer snapped, pulling Usagi to her feet. "Stand!" she ordered, allowing her partner to cuff the delusional woman.

"You can't do this to me!" Usagi struggled against her captors. "Do you know who I am? I am Hiedki Nobou's wife! I am Hiedki Jun's daughter-in-law! Let me go!" she demanded as she was dragged out of the mansion.

* * *

Four months later...

"Sprite, isn't that..." Amuro started, when the final sentencing of Tsukino Usagi's trial was broadcast on the news after a highly-publicized trial.

"She isn't my friend." Ami cut him off. "She hasn't been for the last 13 years."

"...Even after committing first-degree murder, she shows no signs of remorse. Therefore, the defendant is sentenced to life in a psychiatric hospital." the judge passed the judgment.

"Life..." Usagi stammered in shock. "You can't!" she screeched, trying to fight against the binds that tied her to the chair. "Do you know who I am? What crime did I commit? I only want what is the best, even if it means taking what belongs to others!"


	19. The Case of the Beckoning Calico Cat, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing

"Wow, awesome!" Genta gushed when Azusa showed the Detective Boys the report in a certain food magazine. "Poirot's really in there!"

"That's right." Azusa replied. "A reporter came here a while back and said he was going to publish a piece about us, but I never expected that it'd be an article this big."

"You're even in there, Azusa-san." Mitsuhiko noted. "See, over there." he pointed to the portrait in the article. "Taii-kun, a calico cat who frequents the cafe and Azusa-san, a beautiful Poirot employee."

"You're right." Ayumi beamed. "She's even holding Taii-chan!"

"Man," Azusa blushed. "Calling me beautiful is a bit much..."

"Newspaper articles usually do exaggerate the facts, after all." Conan pointed out.

"That's so blunt!" Fumio gaped.

"Well, I guess..." Azusa trailed.

"But, there's nothing about you, Amuro-nii-chan?" Genta looked over at Amuro.

"I happened to be off work that day because I wasn't feeling well." Amuro explained.

"It's a pity that you missed out." Mitsuhiko remarked.

"Especially since you're so handsome." Ayumi agreed.

_Well, one of the men in black wouldn't exactly want his face showing up in a random gourmet food magazine like this._ Conan deathpanned.

_Tou-san, you liar._ Fumio shot his father a look, knowing exactly what had happened the afternoon the reporter dropped by.

"Oh right." Amuro ignored the look his son was giving him. "Wasn't there another kid in you group?"

"Ai-chan went back already." Ayumi replied.

"We did ask her if she wanted to come to Poirot to see Taii." Mitsuhiko added.

"But apparently she suddenly remembered something she had to do." Genta stated.

"Talking about Taii," Conan cut in. "Where is he? Is he here already?"

"Well, the truth is," Azusa replied. "Taii-kun's been staying at my house since last week."

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Genta asked

"Taii may be a stray cat, but he has a collar, so he must belong to someone, right?" Mitsuhiko pointed out.

"Still, he showed up covered in scratches from getting into fights with other cats around here." Azusa stated. "Even with Fumio-kun tending to his wounds, I couldn't help about worry about him. And there's a photo of him in that magazine now. If Taii's owner is really searching for him, I'm sure they'll see the article and turn up here."

"But it's not fair to keep Taii-chan all to yourself." Ayumi pouted.

"And there's no way his owner would find such a tiny photo." Genta added.

"Maybe if it was on the Internet, but this..." Mitsuhiko trailed.

"That's what you think, right?" Azusa beamed. "But we've got a surprise..."

"Excuse me..." Amesawa Shogo cut in. "Is this the Cafe Poirot from the magazine? I read in that article. Apparently a cat turns up in the evenings to beg for food? There was a photo and all. That's actually my cat. I've been looking for him for the last six months."

"Hey!" Masuko Teishi protested. "What're you trying to pull? That's my family cat. I know it is. You shouldn't say something like that."

"Wow." Genta gaped. "The owners really did turn up."

"And not just one, but two." even Mitsuhiko was shocked.

"They're not the only two." Azusa corrected.

"There's another one waiting inside." Amuro supplied.

"Looks like a certain someone is quite popular." Fumio joked.

* * *

Inside Poirot...

"Hey, how many times do I have to tell you." Shagawa Mutsumi retorted. "This cat is my granddaughter's cat, Mugi-chan. Where's my Mugi-chan? Weren't you bringing her here now?"

"Right..." Azusa stammered. "When I left to go and get him, I bumped into these kids ad we got talking. And then these two men turned up, claiming to be his owners, too."

"No, I'm his real owner." Masuko insisted.

"You're wrong." Amesawa objected. "I'm telling you, he's mine."

"Are you trying to steal my granddaughter's cat?" Shagawa accused.

"Wow," Ayumi gushed. "Taii-chan's really popular."

"But why do three people want him?" Genta wondered.

"He's only an ordinary calico cat, like you'd see anywhere." Mitsuhiko noted.

"He's not that ordinary." Conan corrected.

"Well, he's certainly a brilliant cat." Mitsuhiko noted. "He even took your message to this cafe, back when we were all trapped in that nasty delivery van."

"Taii-chan was really helpful back then." Ayumi agreed.

"But in the end, the message just got blown away by the wind when he brought it here." Genta added.

"Anyway, Azusa-san, if you would go home and bring Taii here," Amuro suggested. "While we're waiting, I'll hear what each of them have to say with a mystery-solving specialist at my side."

_A mystery-solving specialist?_ Conan wondered. _Don't tell me he means..._

* * *

In the Mouri Detective Agency...

"What?" Mouri echoed after Amuro stated his request. "Looking for a cat's owner? Go ask someone else. I'm busy today."

"Honestly..." Ran sighed.

"It's Goro-chan!" Ayumi beamed, spotting the gray cat.

"Why is he here?" Mitsuhiko asked.

"He's that scary obaa-san's cat' right?" Genta asked.

_Scary obaa-san...?_ Ran twitched as Fumio picked up Goro and began to gently scratch his cheek, causing the feline to purr. "My mother had to go to Fukuoka for work, so she asked me to take care of him for tonight."

"Off you go, leave!" Mouri snapped. "It's not like I'd even get paid for that, right?"

"Then, I'll hire you." Amuro leaned over the sofa. "For payment, I'll give you a ticket to a premium seat at Yoko Okino's summer concert."

"Now, let's see." with that incentive, Mouri changed this tune. "The first cat owner, Shagawa-san, I hear you're a housewife?"

"Right." Shagawa confirmed.

_Just how simple-minded are you, ojii-san?_ Conan sweatdropped.

"So, when did you cat go missing?" Mouri questioned.

"About two months ago." Shagawa replied. "I asked a friend to take care of him since we're going on a family holiday, but apparently he vanished the moment she took her eyes off him. This is a photo of the cat's owner, my granddaughter. Though it's a photo from five years ago."

"I see." Mouri took the photo. "He's just a kitten in the photo, but markings on his body do look familiar."

"See!" Shagawa urged. "Even this nice detective agrees with me."

"Then, you like cats, too, obaa-san?" Conan asked, having taken Goro from Fumio.

"Yes, of course." Shagawa replied. "Come on up." she gestured to Goro, only to have the gray cat jump and nestle onto Mouri's lap. "Your cat does seem quite shy." she noted. "Though he certainly loves his owner."

"This cat isn't even mine." Mouri protested.

"The calico cat from the cafe had been neutered." Amuro supplied. "Do you know anything about that?"

"That was a rough time for him." Shagawa remarked. "He was kept in overnight and when he came out, he had to keep his bandages on for sometime, and it was a week or so before they took the stitches out."

"Masuko-san, president of an IT company." Mouri interviewed the second candidate. "So, you're the second candidate for this cat's owner. When did your cat go missing?"

"When I moved, about four months ago now." Masuko replied. "My wife of thirty years passed away, so I decided to sell our house and move into a flat. I was sure he was in his carrier when he was put into the moving company's van, but when we came to empty the van, he'd vanished."

"Do you have any photos of him?" Mouri asked.

"I've got a photo taken from my phone." Masuko dug into his coat pocket and flashed the picture. "It's just the cat and my wife in the photo, but I took it."

"This looks just like the Poirot cat too." Mouri compared the two photos.

"Of course it does." Masuko insisted. "It's the same cat, after all."

"Then, you like cats too, ojii-san?" Conan asked.

"Yeah." Masuko replied.

"Would you like to hold him?" Conan handed Goro over.

"Have you got a cold?" Mouri asked, hearing Masuko giving a loud sneeze.

"I suppose I must have..." Masuko sniffled.

"By the way, was your cat neutered?" Amuro asked.

"Yes." Masuko replied. "But my wife handled everything like that, so I don't know the details. I do remember that despite having surgery, he didn't have any bandages, but just what looked like a parabolic antenna around his neck, though."

"Like I said, just bring the cat here and you'll know soon enough." Amesawa insisted. "I'm his owner."

"Still I'd like to hear what happened, part-time worker Amesawa-san." Mouri pressed. "When did your cat go missing?"

"About six months ago." Amesawa replied. "I value freedom, so I let him roam free. Then one day, he didn't come back."

"Do you have any photos of him?" Mouri asked.

"Course I don't." Amesawa replied. "I value his freedom, too."

"Then, you like cats too, onii-san?" Conan asked.

"Yeah, of course." Amesawa walked over. "Come on up."

"No way." Ran gaped when Goro leapt onto Amesawa and nuzzled him. "Goro's usually wary of strangers."

"I've always got along well with animals." Amesawa picked up Goro.

"Then do you remember whether he had been neutered?" Amuro asked.

"Who knows." Amesawa shrugged. "He was fully grown when I got him."

"By the way, we've been calling 'Taii-kun' him, but he's actually female, you know?" Fumio supplied, taking back Goro.

"Oh well," Amesawa winced. "Then maybe she's not my cat after all."

"What're you saying?" Mitsuhiko pressed.

"Taii's a tom cat." Genta stated.

"You can even see his balls." Ayumi added.

"Is that right?" Fumio thought for a second.

"Don't scare me like that." Amesawa chided. "Of course he's male."

* * *

"So, which of those three is his owner?" Mitsuhiko wondered as the group thought over the situation.

"It's gotta be that young guy, right?" Genta suggested. "Even Goro likes him."

"But the photo the other man had looked like Taii." Mitsuhiko pointed out.

"But he isn't even in it." Mouri reminded.

"Then how about the old woman's photo?" Ran stated.

"But that's from when he was a kitten." Amuro reminded.

"Have you figured anything out, Conan-kun?" Ran asked.

"Not quite yet." Conan replied.

"Turn that down!" Ran protested when her father cheered on the racehorse he was betting on. "It's hard to think with that noise."

_Noise?_ Conan mused.

_Oh, right._ Ayumi brought out her phone. _I should tell Ai-chan._

"Fumio-kun, your arm..." Ran gasped, seeing the large red patch on the boy's upper arm. "What's wrong? It's red!"

"That's true." Amuro agreed, kneeling beside his son and examining the red spot.

"Guess we can rule out Amesawa-san then." Fumio sighed. "Kaa-san found out when I was still a baby that I'm allergic to catnip."

"A catnip allergy?" Amuro frowned.

"I see." Ayumi realized. "That's why you know so much about cats."

"Kaa-san's healing salve is in my backpack, tou-san." Fumio supplied.

"This?" Amuro claimed Fumio's bag and pulled out a jar of milky white ointment. "She's still the same." he let out a small wistful smile and led Fumio to the toilet to apply the balm.

* * *

"What's going on here?" Amesawa demanded once all three were called back into the agency. "Didn't you call us all here because you figured out who his owner was?"

"As for that, Azusa-chan from Poirot should be arriving with the cat any moment now." Mouri argued.

"You should've just said that." Amesawa was relieved.

"With him here, we can easily tell who the owner is." Masuko added.

"But the cat's owner is my granddaughter." Shagawa reminded.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Azusa entered with Taii in her arms.

"See?" Amesawa grinned when Taii jumped off Azusa's arms and into his. "He's obviously my cat. We'll be leaving now."

"But didn't you know that when some cats see three people, they're drawn to the one in the middle?" Conan fibbed. "You never know, he could've just leapt at you because you're standing in the middle."

"Is that true, Conan-kun?" Ran asked.

"Yeah," Fumio joined in the white lie. "It's one of the trivial facts in grandma's books."

"That must be it." Shagawa insisted.

"My cat would've never jumped into the arms of someone as shady as him otherwise." Masuko agreed.

"Then let's try it again, you'll see." Amesawa pressed. "I can stand on the left or the right, it won't change a thing."

"There's an even better method we can use." Conan remarked. "It's an experiment that'll let us identify the owner right away.

"Azusa-san, are you ready?" Conan asked, having gotten Azusa and Taii out of the agency door.

"Taii-kun's calmly eating in front of the door of the agency." Azusa confirmed.

"Then, try coming here and opening the door one by one." Conan instructed. "One-by-one, he'll be able to identify his owner for sure. Let's start with Shagawa-san."

"See, Mugi-chan, it's me." Shagawa smiled, Taii looking up with no response. "Don't you recognize me? Mugi-chan!" she chided, Taii going back to his snack. "I guess it won't work unless it's his owner, my granddaughter."

"No, he'll do the same with your granddaughter." Conan corrected.

"After all, this cat is male, and the one you're looking for is female." Fumio added. "Isn't that right, tou-san?"

"Yes." Amuro agreed. "Shagawa-san, you said that when your cat is neutered, it was hospitalized overnight, then it was a week until the stitches were removed. You weren't describing a male cat being castrated, but a female cat being spayed. Spaying is an invasive procedure involving opening up the abdomen and removing the ovaries, where castration is a simple procedure that just needs the scrotum to be cut open and the testicles removed, so it generally doesn't need a cat to stay overnight. All that's needed to be done post-operation is to make the cat wear a collar so it won't lick its wound, like Masuko-san described."

"And you make it sound like you and your granddaughter lived with the cat," Conan stated. "But the truth is she just brought it to visit occasionally, right? You don't seem to know how to act around cats. Cats don't like being stared at by anyone but their owners. That's why when you were calling Goro to come to you, he went to Kogoro-ojii-san instead, even though he was ignoring him. I'm guessing that what really happened is that your granddaughter had to go away somewhere and left her cat with you, but she disappeared, right?"

"You're right, little boy." Shagawa admitted. "My granddaughter went on a school trip, and her parents decided to go aboard when she was away. I was asked to take care of her cat, but I couldn't seem to make friends with her. And she vanished when I took my eyes off her. I didn't know what to do, but the picture of the cat in the magazine leapt out at me."

"So you thought the Poirot cat could replace the cat you were missing." Mouri concluded.

"But male and female cats even have different body shapes." Ran pointed out.

"But my granddaughter gets back from her trip tonight." Shagawa was desperate. "I won't be able to face up to her if I don't figure something out."

"When did she go missing?" Fumio asked.

"Last night, after eating dinner." Shagawa replied. "I checked everywhere a cat could hide, in-between the furniture and anything with an opened door, but I couldn't find her anywhere."

"Then you should try searching places with closed doors." Fumio suggested. "Places like toilets, cupboards and even inside washing machines. Cats can sneak in through doors unnoticed the moment they're opened."

"I'll go have another look." Shagawa gaped and took off.

"What a crazy obaa-san." Amesawa scoffed.

"Then, why don't you try next, Amesawa-san?" Conan suggested, shutting the door. "Just do what Shagawa-san did earlier."

"I've been waiting for this." Shagawa grinned. "Though you know how this is going to go already. What's wrong?" he asked, opening the door and seeing Taii just blink at him. "Jump up here, like before. Come on, jump!" he snapped.

"Didn't you know?" Fumio started, after Taii squeaked and hid behind Azusa. "Catnip's effects only last five to ten minutes. And with that gone, you're nothing more than a stranger who's yelling at him. Take a look at Goro. He was happily playing with you before, and yet now he's scared and won't even come near you."

"If you were really his owner, you wouldn't need to cover yourself in catnip dust when coming to meet him." Mouri added.

"I can explain..." Shagawa stammered.

"And when Fumio-kun told you it was female, you backed off right away, didn't you?" Amuro reminded. "If you'd really seen him in the magazine and were convinced enough that he was yours to come all the way here to get him, there's no way you'll back down so easily. You knew, didn't you? If he was female, he wouldn't have any value at all."

"Value?" Mouri echoed. "Isn't he just an ordinary moggy?"

"You're thinking about female calico cats." Amuro explained. "But due to chromosomal abnormalities, only one in a thousand calico cats are male. That rarity is why manekineko beckoning cats were modeled on them. They're worth at least a million yen each. And I've heard some have sold for twenty million or more."

"You're amazing, Taii-chan." Ayumi gushed.

"As rare as a white lion." Mitsuhiko agreed.

"Obviously someone like you who knows how rare they are, weren't let such a rare cat run wild in such a big city, right?" Amuro pressed.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time!" Shagawa stammered and fled.

"He sure runs real fast." Fumio noted, both father and son peered out of the door frame.

"Now, finally," Conan gave the last candidate a look. "Why don't you try, Masuko-san?"

"But, it's been four months, and my wife usually gives him his food." Masuko pointed out. "It'll probably go just like those other two. Soseki..." he gasped when the feline sat quietly in front of the door. "So, you do remember me, Soseki."

"But how?" Ran wondered. "He was waiting there even before the door opened."

"It's the sound." Conan supplied.

"Cats have great hearing and they always remember the sound of their owner's footsteps." Fumio explained.

"You said he vanished when you were moving." Conan turned to Masuko. "Did you have the Cheetah Moving Center handle your move?"

"Yes," Masuko confirmed. "How did you know that?"

"He's climbed the back of a delivery truck belonging to that company before." Conan replied.

"I get it." Ayumi realized. "That means..."

"He wants to be reunited with his owner." Genta concluded.

"He must've thought he could go home if he went into a van with the same logo." Mitsuhiko added.

* * *

"Thank you very much for your help." Masuko stated outside Cafe Poirot after the case was over. "This has my address and email on it." he handed a slip of paper to the tearing children. "If we can arrange a time, I'd be happy for you to come and visit him."

"Still, I never knew cats were drawn to the person standing in the middle of the group." Azusa noted.

"That was a lie." Amuro stated. "Isn't that right, Fumio-kun?"

"Yeah." Fumio nodded. "If Edogawa-kun hadn't said that, we wouldn't have the chance to do the footstep experiment, so I simply just joined in with that little lie."


	20. The Beckoning Calico Cat Case, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“Fumio-kun, what's wrong?” Amuro looked worriedly at his son, the six-year-old was sighing for the fifth time in under half an hour.

“Nothing.” Fumio muttered, focusing on his half-written homework.

“Fumio-kun!” Ayumi bust into Cafe Poirot, interrupting the pending father-son talk.

“Yoshida-san...” Fumio gaped as the ever-energetic girl.

“The Detective Boys are visiting Taii-chan next week.” Ayumi informed. “You wanna come?”

“Er...” Fumio looked at his father, the older man merely giving him a nod as the go-ahead. “Okay.”

“Then, it's decided!” Ayumi beamed and ran off.

“Fumio-kun...” Amuro leaned closer over the counter and looked intently at the boy. “Is there something I should know?”

Fumio bit back another sigh and put down his pencil, “Tou-san, actually...”

* * *

The next day...

Amuro had used his lunch break and confronted the school's new teacher, Iwata-sensei, who had been tormenting Fumio about his parentage ever since he started teaching.

Upon further investigation from the PTA, it was discovered that Iwata-sensei had been a child born of a high-ranked Diet Member and his mistress and he had suffered merciless taunting from his schoolmates once his lineage was made known. Even though his father had long been laid to rest, the ruthless bullying Iwata Yuuta endured when he was barely in middle school had curved a shadow in his heart, resulting in him carrying the wound over to his adulthood.

It didn't take long for the Disciplinary Committee to pass judgment: Iwata-sensei was placed on probation and ordered to see a psychologist in regards to his obvious resentment against students with similar parentage as him.

* * *

  
That night...

“Fumio's homeroom teacher gave me a call this afternoon.” Ami informed her partner after the parents tucked Fumio into bed. “Thanks for handling this.” she gave Amuro a grateful smile.

“Don't mention it.” Amuro nuzzled her neck.

“Wrong place, lover.” Ami smacked Amuro's wandering hand off her thigh.

“Ah...” Amuro grinned, scooped her into his arms and exited Fumio's room.

* * *

“Why do we _always_ end up in this position?” Ami teased, Amuro having deposited her onto her bed.

“Seven years, Sprite.” Amuro grinned.

“Stop with that old excuse and just kiss me already.” Ami pouted.

“As my lady commands.” Amuro shifted his body over hers and claimed her lips.

* * *

The following week...

“I never thought that old man would be the one to contract us.” Mitsuhiko remarked, the group were heading towards Masuko's apartment unit. “The email he sent to the detective agency said we could come today if we wanted to see him, right?”

“Yeah.” Conan nodded.

“It's only been a few days then.” Genta pointed out.

“I wonder why?” Ayumi mused.

“Maybe he decided to get rid of his cat after all?” Conan suggested.

“He does seem to be allergic to cats.” Fumio agreed.

“Allergic to cats?” Ayumi echoed.

“Even though he owns one?” even Mitsuhiko was surprised.

“Well, some people get cats without ever knowing they're allergic to them.” Haibara noted, the group exiting the elevator.

“But then, that means he's gonna sell it, right?” Genta asked.

“Twenty million yen is hard to refuse.” Mitsuhiko agreed.

_Isn't that Masuko-san's flat?_ Conan wondered, the group stopping a little way before the apartment unit as two men were seen at the door.

“Anyway, please open the door.” Masuko's next-door neighbor urged the apartment manager. “I heard a strange noise from in there.”

“Masuko-san, it's the caretaker.” the manager opened the door with the master key. “Are you okay in there? What's this cat...” he mused as Taii slipped out of the door.

“Has something happened?” Conan ran up, Fumio following suit and picked Taii up.

“This cat doesn't look injured, at all, but there's blood on its paws.” Masuko's neighbor informed.

“That's true.” Fumio agreed, looking closer at Taii's bloodied paws.

_Then, that must mean that Masuko-san..._ Conan peered through the door creak. _It couldn't be!_ “Masuko-san, if you're okay, please say something!” he shouted through the door creak.

“He might just be sleeping, you know?” the apartment manager reasoned. “The door _is_ locked.

“But his neighbor heard a strange noise, right?” Fumio looked at the other male.

“Yeah,” the neighbor replied. “There was this loud thud that sounded like something being hit.”

“And there's blood on Masuko-san's cat.” Fumio showed Taii's bloodied front paws.

“Something must have happened inside.” Conan insisted. “Haibara, quickly call an ambulance.”

“Got it.” Haibara dug out her cellphone.

“Do any of you have a string or something?” Conan turned to the others. “Also, some sort of tape, and some sort of wire.”

“I've got some wool.” Ayumi pulled a strip of wool.

“I've got plasters.” Genta took out the plaster box from his pocket.

“Wouldn't this be better?” Fumio asked, taking out the roll of scotch tape from his waistbag.

“Here's a paper clip.” Mitsuhiko brought out a spare paper clip. “But what are you going to do with these?”

“Unlock the door.” Conan replied. “First, you tie the string to the U-shaped bar on the lock, then fix the loop to the bottom of the U with the scotch tape. Then, if you thread some wool through the paper clip and stick it to the inside of the door, you're ready. You just have to shut the door and give the string a big tug...”

“It opened.” Genta exclaimed when the door opened.

“Which flat is yours?” Fumio turned to Masuko's neighbor.

“That one over here.” the neighbor pointed.

_So, it'll be the closest room to his neighbor._ Conan hurried up the staircase. _Which means to the left. Is it the room at the end?_ He headed straight for the room at the end and flung the door open, finding an unconscious and injured Masuko on the floor.

* * *

“Looks like an accident.” Satou surveyed the crime scene with Takagi. “He put the chair on the bed and tried to change the light, but lost his balance and hit himself on the side table. I do the same myself sometimes, but it's hard to balance on a bed, so it can be dangerous.”

“Please don't do that.” Takagi pleaded. “Your mattress is very expensive, and it's so soft and fluffy.”

“How come you know so much about Detective Satou's bed?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“Have you slept in it?” Genta inquired.

“Ah, no...” Takagi stammered.

“I wanna have a sleepover at Detective Satou's house.” Ayumi gushed.

_Do they even know it isn't_ that _type of sleepover they have in mind?_ Fumio sweatdropped.

“Gossiping aside, what's the situation?” Haibara brought back the main issue. “What's the guy in this flat doing?”

“He's had surgery.” Takagi replied. “But he's still unconscious and in a critical state.”

“Anyway, once he's conscious, I'm sure he'll be very thankful to you.” Satou noted. “After all, thanks to Conan opening the lock so quickly that he was saved.”

“Actually, before that,” Conan corrected. “Once he regains his consciousness, I thin he'll tell us who tried to murder him.”

“Murder?” Satou echoed.

“So, this isn't an accident?” even Takagi was shocked.

“Just take a look.” Fumio pointed to the chair on the bed. “The chair's on top of the bed cover. If you were going to stand a chair on the bed, you would at least pull back the cover, right?”

“Not only that,” Conan added. “Look at this, Masuko-san's still wearing one of his slippers.” he showed the two detectives the snapshot he had taken beforehand. “If he was going to get on a chair on the bed, don't you think he would have taken off his slippers?”

“That's true.” Satou conceded.

“Also, the shattered light on the floor is most likely the old light he took out to change.” Fumio pointed to the broken fluorescent light. “But take a look, none of the edges are blackened; it looks very new.”

“So, in other words, someone pushed Masuko-san over here in his bedroom, got him seriously injured, and then set up the room afterwards to make it look like an accident.” Satou mused. “And there's about an hour between the neighbor hearing the strange noise and the caretaker arriving. There would've been plenty of time to set the place up.”

“But, there's apparently only one spare key for the front door, and both the keys were on the living room shelf.” Takagi pointed out. “And how would they have set the door's safety lock?”

“That's all been figured out already.” Satou beamed. “Right, Conan? If you can open a lock from the outside, then I bet you know how to lock one too.”

“Not exactly...” Conan gaped.

“There's someone on the screen!” Genta shouted.

* * *

“It's the intercom.” Mitsuhiko supplied, seeing Takagi hurry out. “The intercom's set up to record videos of whoever rings the doorbell at the ground floor entrance.”

“And here they are.” Haibara pointed out. “Three people within the hour before we arrived. The audio gets recorded too, and they all introduced themselves, so we should be able to identify them using Masuko-san's address book.”

_There's an old car carrier on the table with some wrapping paper._ Walking out with Fumio, Conan spotted the items on the table in the living room. _So, he really_ was _going to give that calico to someone as a gift. There's tape and fold marks on the wrapping paper and some tears here and there._ He gave the unwrapped car carrier a closer look. _So did someone unwrap it after it had already been wrapped? There's tape and scissors here._

“The bin is empty, though.” Fumio peered into the trash bin, as if following Conan's thoughts. “Then, why can't I find it anywhere?”

* * *

“Come to think of it, what did Masuko-san do when you lot rang the intercom at the entrance?” Takagi turned to the kids after gathering Masuko's three visitors.

“We didn't ring it.” Genta replied.

“We thought of ringing it.” Fumio stated.

“But then one of the residents was going out, so we went in while the door was open.” Haibara explained.

“We thought we'd rush in and give him a surprise.” Ayumi chimed.

“We _had_ arranged to meet him.” Mitsuhiko added.

“And we knew his flat number.” Conan noted.

“I see...” Takagi gaped. “In order in which they rang the intercom was Tsuyuguchi-san, followed by Asoh-san, then Urushiya-san, so that fits.” he looked at his notebook, having taken down all three suspects' statements. “But that neighbor wasn't sure what time exactly he heard the strange noise, so we can't narrow down our suspects.”

“I guess we'll just have to wait for Masuko-san to wake up.” Satou sighed.

“No, I don't think we have to wait.” Haibara corrected. “See.” she gave Conan and Fumio a side-glance, both boys sharing mischievous grins.

********************************************************************************

“So, those were the three people that came here around the time the neighbor heard the suspicious noise?” Megure asked his two subordinates. “But the door was locked and bolted, wasn't it? Are you sure this was a crime?”

“The crime scene indicated that it wasn't an accident.” Takagi reported. “According to Conan and Fumio.”

“Are they inside the flat?” Megure asked.

“No, they said there was something they had to buy.” Satou replied.

“We're back.” as if on cue, the group returned.

“What did you buy?” Satou inquired.

“We bought the thing that disappeared from Masuko-san's flat.” Conan held out the carrier bag. “This.” he took out the roll of ribbon. “A decorative ribbon. You usually cut off the excess ribbon with scissors after tying up a present.”

“Therefore, seeing as there aren't any ribbon in the bin, I guess the ribbon just happened to be the correct length, even though Masuko-san had scissors to cut it.” Fumio explained.

“The present itself as a used carrier,” Conan took over. “And he had tape there, too, so he must've wrapped it himself instead of having it wrapped at a store.”

“But, what does it tell us?” Megure inquired.

“Are you still half asleep?” Haibara retorted. “The fact that it disappeared from the crime scene means that the culprit must have used it for something.”

“For example, locking the room to make it look like an accident.” Fumio stated.

“In any case, let's try it out and see whether or not that's actually possible.” Conan pushed the three officers back into the room. “First up, how the safety lock was latched. We pass the ribbon between the door and the bolt, so it catches on it.” he explained, using Genta to conduct the experiment. “Then go outside holding on both ends of the ribbon and close the door. And finally, we only have to pull tight on both ends. All right, Mitsuhiko.” he instructed over the Detective badge.

“It worked.” all three officers chorused in unison after Mitsuhiko gave Genta the go-head to pull the ribbon.

“Next up, locking the door.” Conan continued. “After opening the door and checking that it's bolted, we remove the ribbon, and make a knot in the middle of it.” he had Mitsuhiko tie the knot. “Then, we loop the ribbon around the dial to lock the door, so that the knot catches on it, then we pull one end of the ribbon out and close the door. After that, if we pull on it from outside, at an upward angle...”

“The ribbon really locked the door.” Takagi was stunned.

“But unlike with the safety lock, you can't pull the ribbon out this time.” Megure pointed out, seeing the dangling ribbon caught at the door.

“Pull as hard as you can on the ribbon.” Conan instructed over the Detective badge.

“But since the door is closed, the knot's stuck.” Mitsuhiko stated, as Genta tugged at the ribbon.

“If only someone could pull out the ribbon from inside and take it somewhere else...” Fumio sighed and gave Ayumi a nod, gesturing for her to let Taii down to the floor.

“Move the ribbon around.” Conan instructed the other two boys on the other side of the door.

Walking towards the door and looking at the waving ribbon, Taii jumped and grabbed the dangling ribbon with its paws, before running off with the ribbon in its mouth.

“Follow that cat!” Megure ordered.

“Behind the bookshelf?” Takagi caught up with Taii who had hid behind the bookshelf with its new prize. “That's where the cat hides its treasure, I suppose. I found it.” he reported, seeing another ribbon behind the books. “There's a second ribbon that's different from the one we just used. It has a knot too,” he pulled out the green ribbon. “So there's no doubt about it.”

“The question is _who_ used the ribbon for this trick.” Satou noted.

“I think it'd be someone who knows a lot about cats.” Takagi reasoned.

“Then, could it be the girl with the glasses?” Ayumi wondered. “Taii-chan was wagging his tail when she was holding him.”

“No, unlike dogs, cats wag their tails when they're agitated.” Fumio remarked. “From this point alone, Asoh-san doesn't seem to know a lot about cats.”

“In that case, maybe he was agitated because she was the one who hurt his owner?” Haibara surmised.

“If that's the case, won't she be more worried about him scratching her?” Fumio asked.

“But the remaining two are Tsuyuguchi-san, who seemed to be very concerned about conserving electricity, and Urushiya-san, who picked up the things that fell from Genta's pockets. Both of those actions seem almost unconscious, like habits they had.”

“But, when Kojima-san dropped his plasters, tissues and bottle cap, he only picked up the bottle cap, right?” Conan pointed out.

“Now that you mention it, that's true.” Satou agreed. “But why would he do that?”

“Why don't we try it out?” Conan purposely scattered the same items onto the floor.

Taii crawled over, took the bottle cap into his mouth and scrambled back behind the bookshelf.

“I see.” Satou realized. “The cat loves bottle caps too.”

“I see.” Megure mused. “If the cat had taken the bottle cap and brought it to the rest of its treasures, we might have found the ribbon that was used in the trick.”

“It seems to have been a non-mediated crime using objects that were lying around.” Takagi noted.

“If he wasn't wearing gloves, we should be able to get fingerprints from the ribbon.” Satou reasoned.

“Question Urushiya-san again.” Megure gave the order.

* * *

“Indeed, I was the one who attacked and injured him.” Urushiya confessed. “Actually, I came today to borrow some money from him. We had originally planned to meet up tomorrow, but this morning, he called to tell me he had a great present for me. Since I was curious, I couldn't help coming by today. But the present turned out to be a hastily wrapped used cat carrier. And all that was in there was that calico cat. On top of that, he told me he couldn't give it to me yet, with that stupid grin. That cat was just a stray that I rescued from the past.”

“Does that mean you're his owner before?” Fumio blinked.

“Yeah, I had it for half a year.” Urushiya replied. “While it was still a kitten. I gave it to him when his wife was suffering from losing a pet. Giving it to him turned out to be the right thing to do. Right after that, my books completely stopped selling and I couldn't have cared for a pet cat. But on the other hand, his company started to really take off. Despite that, he had the gall to try and push that stray cat onto me.”

“But Taii-chan's an amazing cat, you know.” Ayumi protested.

“Male calico cats are a rare breed and rarely ever found.” Mitsuhiko stated.

“And they're worth loads.” Genta added.

“But I suppose the reason why Masuko-san wanted to give Taii back to you wasn't money.” Fumio concluded. “But because he was a lucky Beckoning cat.”


	21. Teimuzu River Kite Flying Case, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Some time later, at Professor Agasa's house...

“All right.” Genta cheered, holding up the finished kite. “It's done.”

“Amazing.” Ayumi beamed.

“It looks fantastic.” Mitsuhiko agreed.

“The design is the same as our Detective Badges.” Haibara noted.

“Aren't we missing something?” Fumio wondered.

“Every kite need a tail.” Conan inputted. “Without a tail, it'll just spin in circles.”

“I've already made some.” Professor Agasa cut in, holding out two rolls of cloth. “And they contain a message. Look.” he unraveled the two long pieces of cloth.

“'If you've got a case in your hands, contact the Detective Boys of Teitan Elementary School Class 1-B.'” Haibara read the first strip of cloth.

“Isn't it a good idea?” Professor Agasa beamed.

“What about the other tail?” Conan asked.

“I was planning on unrolling this one once we get there.” Professor Agasa admitted.

“'If you're looking for useful inventions, contact Hiroshi Agasa of Beika City 2-Chome, 22-Banchi'.” Haibara read of the second roll of cloth Agasa had accidentally unraveled.

“He even wrote his website address on the back.” Fumio peered at the other side of the cloth. “Is this what we call 'shameless plug'?”

“Why not?” Professor Agasa sweatdropped. “I helped make this kite. I deserve at least this much.”

* * *

“But would it be alright?” Mitsuhiko wondered, the children had boarded Professor Agasa's yellow Beetle and was heading towards the kite-flying site.

“What do you mean?” Professor Agasa asked.

“A kite's tails flaps in the wind.” Mitsuhiko stated. “No one will be able to read the messages.”

“We just have to win an award at the kite-flying event we're attending.” Professor Agasa explained.

“What do you mean?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“Kites that win for flying the highest or have the most unique design are hung in the city hall for a month.” Fumio looked up from the information pamphlet.

“It would be be super-effective form of advertisement.” Conan added.

“Let's do our best, Ai-chan.” Ayumi turned to the other girl in the shared back seat. “Ai-chan?” she blinked, seeing Haibara had on her earphones and was bobbing her head to the tune that was being played.

“Sorry.” Haibara removed the earphones. “What?”

“Let's do our best to fly our kite.” Ayumi encouraged.

“Sure.” Haibara nodded.

“So, how is it?” Fumio looked over. “Godmother Michiru's solo single?”

“Kites!” Genta exclaimed, cutting off Haibara's answer.

“They look magnificent.” Professor Agasa agreed.

* * *

“It's almost time to fly your kite.” Professor Agasa ran over to the children.

“Next up are Team Detective Boys and Team Cafe Renno.” the announcer voiced over the loudspeaker. “Teams Detective Boys and Cafe Renno, please get ready.”

“It's our turn.” Genta noted.

“Let's do this.” Fumio stretched his arms.

“How's this?” Mitsuhiko asked as he and Genta positioned the kite.

“Bring it a little farther back, so the wind hits it from the front.” Fumio gestured, with Conan holding the line spool. “Now!” he gave the three boys the go-ahead, Genta and Mitsuhiko releasing the kite. With Conan steering the kite, the kite took to the air.

“Oh no!” Conan gaped when the force of the wind tore off one of the kite's twin tails.

“It's falling.” Mitsuhiko exclaimed as the kite started falling back to the ground.

“Seriously?” Genta whined as he and Mitsuhiko ran after the falling kite.

“Our kite!” Mitsuhiko hurried over the to fallen kite.

“It's no use.” Conan sighed, giving the torn kite a look-over. “The frame is broken.”

“Even if we reattach the tail, it still won't fly.” Mitsuhiko pouted.

“Damn it.” Genta cursed.

“What are you doing?” Yatsukoshi Takeshi's shout diverted the boys' attention from the damaged kite. “If you keep going...”

“Huh?” Renno Ryōta continued backing backwards and falling into the river as a result.

“That old man!” Genta exclaimed as Renno fell backwards into the water.

“He fell into the Teimuzu River.” Mitsuhiko added.

“Mitsuhiko, call an ambulance.” Conan instructed as he and Fumio hurried to the incident site.

“This isn't good.” Kakura Yuitoshi realized, seeing Renno struggling in the water. “He can't swim!”

“Someone help!” Conan yelled.

“Someone get a life preserver!” Fumio shouted.

As if on cue, two of the contestants jumped into the water and a red-and-white life preserver was also tossed into the water.

_Was it an accident?_ Conan wondered as he and Fumio knelt by the broken rope that held the fence together.  _No, this..._ he realized, after hearing Renno's wife shout over the dropped cellphone.  _Was not an accident._ He watched as the two contestants held Renno's head above the water and use the life preserver to swim back to shore.

* * *

“He swallowed a bunch of water, and now he's unconscious and in serious condition.” Inspector Megure remarked as the ambulance took Renno to the hospital. “So, who fell into the water.”

“He's the manager of a nearby cafe.” Takagi referred to his notebook. “Renno Ryōta-san, thirty-nine years old. According to witnesses, when Renno-san was holding his kite and backing up, he had the misfortune of slipping between the posts where the rope was cut and fell into the river.”

“I see.” Inspector Megure surveyed the crime scene. “The ends of the rope are old and worn. It probably broke apart a while ago and was left this way. It looks like this was just an accident. We'll let the appropriate authorities handle the rest.”

“I don't think this is an accident.” Conan cut in.

“Conan-kun?” Inspector Megure gaped at the boy behind him. “What do you mean, it wasn't an accident?”

“Detective Takagi, please try tying the two ends of the rope together.” Fumio requested.

“Huh?” Takagi blinked when the two ends of the rope fell short.

“See?” Fumio prompted. “They don't reach.”

“But if they were exposed to the elements for a long time, it makes sense they'll get shorter.” Inspector Megure pointed out.

“Yeah, but the rope on the bottom is so long, there's some left over.” Conan peered at the bottom rope securing the fence. “Even if these are connected, the rope would just hung down uselessly, right? On top of that, one end of the rope has been bleached by the sun, but the other side hasn't. That's probably the rope from the post on the very end. The tip of the rope on the end should've been worn by exposure.”

“Then, someone must've untied it, matched the length and tied it back on here to make it seem like the rope broke a long time ago.” Fumio concluded, following Conan's reasoning.

“Mitsuhiko and Genta went to check it out.” Conan added. “We'll know for sure soon.”

“Conan-kun, you and Fumio-kun are right.” Mitsuhiko reported as he ran back. “The rope attached to the post next to the one of the very end had a brand new cut on it and wasn't attached to the post next to it.”

“The post on the other end didn't have a rope on it, either.” Genta had also returned.

“But who would do this?” Inspector Megure was puzzled.

“And for what purpose?” Takagi mused.

“We're just kids.” Conan beamed, noticing the two officers looking at him and Fumio. “We don't know.”

“But maybe,” Fumio stated. “Someone did it to make the man who nearly drown fall into the river.”

“That can't be.” Inspector Megure remarked.

“He slipped and fell.” Takagi agreed.

“But that man was holding his kite and backing up, right?” Conan pointed out. “People don't usually pay much attention to what's behind them when they do that.”

“Yeah.” Genta concurred. “Besides, he thought there was a rope behind him.”

“You might watch your feet to make sure you don't step on your kite's tail, though.” Mitsuhiko reminded.

“Then, if someone drew him to this spot between the posts without a rope, wouldn't it be possible to make him to fall in?” Conan prompted.

“Which means the culprit is...” Takagi blinked.

“The most suspicious figure is that fat man who was helping the man who nearly drowned fly his kite.” Conan pointed at Yatsukoshi. “If they were on the same team, it would be possible for him to tell the other man where to stand, right? Also, there's that large man talking to him.” he turned his focus on Kakura. “He was speaking to the man who nearly drowned just before he fell into the river.”

“All right.” Inspector Megure narrowed down their suspects. “We'll question them.”

“Also,” Conan added. “Speaking of conversations, before the man fell into the river, he was speaking to someone on his cellphone.”

“Do you know who he was speaking to? Inspector Megure asked.

“From his phone...” Fumio frowned. “Maybe it's his wife.”

“We should contact his house immediately.” Inspector Megure instructed Takagi.

“But when I answered the phone and told her her husband fell into the river, she rushed here.” Conan cut in. “She rode in the ambulance with him.”

“Call her back here immediately as a material witness in an attempted murder.” Inspector Megure ordered.


	22. Teimuzu River Kite Flying Case, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“You think I drew Renno-san to an area without rope and made him fall into the river?” Yatsukoshi echoed, Inspector Megure and Takagi were taking down his statement. “You must be joking. I shouted 'watch out' and tried to stop him. You kids saw it, didn't you?” he turned to the four boys.

“Yeah.” Genta admitted. “He shouted just that before that man fell into the river.”

“He seemed pretty worried to me.” Mitsuhiko added.

“But we don't know if Renno-san heard his voice.” Conan pointed out. “The people around them were shouting instructions to their teammates, too. They were pretty far apart.”

“Is that right?” Inspector Megure turned to Yatsukoshi.

“Yes,” Yatsukoshi replied. “I thought he could hear me, at least a bit. But after that, I backed away from him, too.”

“Even if he can't hear you, you could still guide him using gestures.” Takagi reasoned.

“I didn't do anything like that.” Yatsukoshi protested. “If you think I'm lying, you can watch the video the event operators took to make sure no one was cheating.”

“Why did you have to stand so far away?” Inspector Megure questioned.

“Because I noticed while watching the other kites that the wind seemed stronger higher up.” Yatsukoshi explained. “I thought we could send our kite shooting up bu standing far apart. Each team has a limited amount of time to fly their kite, so we had to get it in one try.”

“By the way, what's your relationship with Renno-san?” Inspector Megure asked.

“I'm an employee at the cafe Renno-san manages.” Yatsukoshi replied. “I came here today so we could win our class event using a kite with our cafe's logo. The winners' kites are displayed in the city hall, so it's good advertising. We'd have pride when we attended the neighborhood association meetings, too.”

* * *

“Yeah, Renno and I talked a little just before he fell into the river.” Kakura admitted.

“What did you talk about?” Inspector Megure asked.

“He had a relationship with my sister, even though he had a wife.” Kakura replied. “He drove her to attempt suicide, so I asked to speak to him after the event. He was probably being punished for his sins.”

“Then, you had motive to make Renno-san fall into the river.” Inspector Megure concluded.

“Doesn't Yatsukoshi have motive, too?” Kakura inquired. “He'd been in love with me sister since high school. His wife, who was furious when I told her about him and my sister, must've had plenty of motive, too.”

“Is it true that Renno-san was speaking to his wife on the phone the whole time?” Inspector Megure inquired.

“It seemed that way.” Kakura replied. “If I had led him into falling into the river, wouldn't his wife have heard me over the phone? He and I were flying the same kite. I doubt anyone would listen to the advice of a rival.”

“But, didn't Kakura-san see Renno-san fall into the river?” Fumio asked. “Didn't you think to stop him?”

“I was pretty far away when he fell.” Kakura explained. “I thought he had approached the river to litter.”

“Litter?” Conan echoed.

“He was carrying an empty plastic bottle under his arm.” Kakura recalled.

“By the way, what is your relationship with them?” Inspector Megure continued the questioning.

“Renno and Yatsukoshi were my juniors on our high school baseball team.” Kakura replied. “Even after I graduated, I visited the club to help them out. That's how I knew Yatsukoshi, even though he's younger than me.”

* * *

“Wait a minute.” Renno Takami protested. “Why would you suspect me? I was speaking to him over the phone from home using my house phone.”

“But the person he was speaking to on the phone is the only one who could have led him between the posts.” Takagi reasoned.

“If you lived in a tall apartment building and could see this area from there...” Inspector Megure prompted.

“I live in an ordinary two-story house.” Takami retorted.

“But if you were video-chatting, you could see a little bit, like the location of the posts.” Conan pointed out.

“If his wife at home told him over the phone to go farther back or move a little to the left, there's no way he'll listen.” Takami snapped.

“Did you hear Kakura-san's voice over the phone?” Takagi asked.

“Yeah, he's the brother of my husband's mistress, isn't he?” Takami noted. “I could hear him very clearly. I already knew my husband was having an affair with his sister, though.”

“Did he say anything to direct your husband?” Takagi inquired.

“Not really, no.” Takami answered. “My husband was busy making excuses to me. But maybe they spoke secretly. He did tell me to hold on and moved the phone away from his face.”

“Maybe he had a call waiting.” Conan noted.

“I didn't her a hold tone.” Takami refuted. “I did hear some rustling as my husband was doing something, though.”

“Could he have received an email from someone?” Inspector Megure surmised.

“He had a call on his line.” Takami reminded. “He couldn't view his messages. I threatened to divorce him if he hung up on me.”

* * *

“Just like he said, Yatsukoshi-san's not making any overt movements.” Inspector Megure confirmed as he and Takagi reviewed the recorded footage.

“He's just drinking his beverage.” Takagi agreed.

“We can see Kakura-san just after Renno-san fell into the river.” Inspector Megure paused the recording.

“Just like he said, he's pretty far away.” Takagi concurred. “I can't imagine he led Renno-san between the posts.”

“Then, that leaves only his wife who called him.” Inspector Megure concluded.

“But like she said, isn't that impossible?” Takagi pointed out.

“That would mean the culprit may be someone other than these three.” Inspector Megure mused.

“You two seem troubled.” Haibara suddenly appeared behind Conan and Fumio. “Your phone has disappeared somewhere, Mizuno.”

“Seriously?” Fumio echoed.

“Ai-chan dropped it somewhere in front of the bathrooms and someone picked it up.” Ayumi explained.

“Haven't you tried calling it?” Fumio asked.

“We tried calling it.” Professor Agasa replied. “At first it rang a few times before the call ended. After that, the phone was powered off and we couldn't reach it no matter how many times we called. Since it's off, we can't look for it by GPS, either.”

“Do any of you remember anyone who was standing nearby when you dropped it?” Conan asked.

“Someone tripped behind me, but I didn't see their face.” Ayumi replied.

“That's why I think they mistook it for their own and took it with them.” Haibara concluded.

“Professor, what time was it when you called?” Conan asked.

“After the ambulance left.” Professor Agasa replied. “Because of the incident, I had forgotten that Ai-kun had borrowed Fumio-kun's phone.”

_I see._ Conan grinned. _Then, there may be some record of the devil's voice that used that primitive trick._

* * *

“We've been telling you, it was impossible for any of us to make Renno fall in the river.” Kakura insisted.

“Like you said, it's possible someone manipulated the rope between those posts.” Yatsukoshi agreed to the officers' conclusion.

“But just because my husband was backing up while holding a kite...” Takami protested.

“None of us could have led him between the posts and made him fall in to the river.” Kakura stated.

“But the rope seems to have been manipulated quite recently.” Inspector Megure remarked. “I can only imagine it was done to make Renno-san fall into the river.”

“Then, how do we do it?” Takami pressed.

“But, there must be some way...” Takagi trailed, giving the Detective Boys a side-look that literally screamed 'Help!'.

“Maybe there isn't?” Conan voiced. “They may have been able to do it if they have psychic powers, though. Once Renno-san regains consciousness, we'll know immediately who did it.”

“Is that true, Conan?” Genta asked.

“Probably.” Conan answered. “Maybe he'll even tell us how they led him between the posts.”

“But what if he doesn't regain consciousness?” Haibara asked.

“If that happens, we'll just have to give up.” Conan shrugged. “We haven't found any clues.”

“Speaking of which, did you find your phone, Fumio-kun?” Ayumi asked.

“Not yet.” Fumio replied.

“Maybe whoever picked it up threw it away.” Genta suggested.

“It would be terrible if they threw it into the river.” Mitsuhiko pointed out.

“That's fine.” Fumio assured. “It's water-proof. We'll probably know who threw it away, too.”

“I see.” Haibara noted. “I haven't paused the record function of the MD app yet; it'll have recorded the voice of whoever picked it up. What are you going to do if they take it home to destroy it?”

“I'll find it before they do.” Fumio replied. “Kaa-san installed a special transmitter into the phone. We'll know exactly where it is when we check the computer at home.”

“But, what if they erase the recorded data?” Mitsuhiko thought to ask.

“It's locked.” Fumio reminded. “It's a four-digit code that only kaa-san knows about.”

“It's not 4869, is it?” Haibara deathpanned. “You're also a Sherlock fan.”

“That's too obvious.” Fumio stated.

“I'm right.” Haibara insisted.

“I said that's not it.” Fumio assured.

* * *

“So, it was you.” Inspector Megure droned, cornering Yatsukoshi who had exited from the portable toilet. “Yatsukoshi Takeshi-san.”

“What are you talking about?” Yatsukoshi stammered.

“You have Fumio-kun's phone, don't you?” Takagi pressed.

“You mean this?” Yatsukoshi pulled out the flip-phone. “I thought it was mine and picked it up. It's the same model and color as mine.” he handed the phone to Takagi. “It has a different PIN and I though I haven't brought mine today, so I thought it was strange.”

“It's all clear now.” Inspector Megure stated. “The person who plotted to make Renno-san fall into the river was you.”

“What are you talking about?” Yatsukoshi protested. “I told you, it wasn't possible for me to lead Renno-san between the posts. How could I have guided Renno-san without any overt gestures when he was standing so far away he couldn't hear me?”

“You called him.” Conan cut off all protestations. “You can talk to people who are far away using a phone.”

“Renno-san was on the phone with his wife.” Yatsukoshi reminded. “She said she couldn't hear a hold tone, either.”

“We didn't say it was that kind of phone.” Fumio stated. “We were referring to _that_.” he pointed to the improvised string phone they had made on the spot. “A string phone.”

“We found all the materials for a string phone.” Takagi added. “A long string to connect the two people and plastic bottles to use as receivers. You wrapped kite string around the bottles and pretended to drink while issuing instructions to Renno-san.”

“That's impossible.” Yatsukoshi objected. “How could I tell him to use a string phone if he couldn't hear me?”

“You agreed to some kind of simple signal.” Takagi answered. “Like using the string phone when you pulled twice on the kite string.”

“Renno-san's wife mentioned that.” Inspector Megure added.

“You can't be serious!” Yatsukoshi exclaimed. “What proof do you have?” he was cut off when Fumio played the recording.

“Because you put my phone in your breast pocket, I was able to record everything.” Fumio replied.

“The voice of the devil.” Conan finished.

“A voice pattern profile would reveal whose voice it is immediately.” Takagi stated.

“It seems that Renno-san just regained consciousness.” Inspector Megure noted. “We can ask him directly. I suspect your motive is related to Kakura-san's sister as well.”

* * *

“A drowning incident?” Amuro echoed after the family dinner that night, Fumio having related to his parents about what had occurred during the day.

“I really starting to regret letting you hang around those kids.” Ami remarked, handing Fumio the unwrapped mint-flavored ice cream cone.

“At least, it isn't a murder case.” Amuro noted. “What?” he blinked, seeing Ami level him a glare.

“Don't you dare jinx it.” Ami warned.


	23. The Lover Gone Missing in a Snowstorm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“Be careful.” Professor Agasa warned the kids who had exited his Beetle and were frolicking in the snow field.

“Welcome to the Ice Room boarding house.” the three Himuro sisters greeted their guests.

“We look forward to staying with you.” Professor Agasa replied.

“Nice to meet you.” Conan greeted. “Guys, don't forget to greet our hosts.” he called.

“Nice to meet you!” Genta, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi waved.

“Let's make a snowman.” Genta suggested.

“I'm sorry.” Professor Agasa chuckled.

“It's fine.” Ryoko assured. “We three sisters loved to play in the snow when we were children.”

“That's right.” Aya agreed. “Children should play energetically outdoors.”

“I think they have too much energy.” Conan deathpanned.

“Some children don't have much.” Haibara fired back.

“A snowball fight?” Juri looked on. “That sounds fun.”

“Bullseye!” Ayumi cheered when a snowball hit Conan on the head.

“Now you've done it, Genta.” Conan growled.

“You're still a child.” Haibara sighed as Conan stormed over to avenge himself.

“And that's a bad thing, why?” Fumio questioned, setting up his canvas stand.

“Haibara, you're not going to throw snowball?” Conan asked, in the midst the snowball fight. Genta having ran back to the lodge for cover.

“I'll pass.” Haibara was still working on her snow figures. “I don't feel like it.”

“What are you making then?” Conan inquired.

“This isn't a game.” Haibara declared proudly. “I'm making art.” she presented her snow bunny sculpture. “Where's Kojima-kun?” she looked around to see Genta missing. “I don't see him anywhere.”

“Oh, Genta...” Conan grinned, recalling how he had gotten Genta with an over-sized snowball. “Went inside to wipe his face.”

“You're evil.” Haibara noted.

“But Kojima-san sure is taking a while.” Fumio looked up from his pencil sketch.

“Fine, I'll go check on him.” Conan relented.

* * *

That night...

“Let's head back.” Genta voiced, his stomach growling, the group was marveling over Haibara's snow sculptures. “I'm hungry.”

“Hey.” Aya called as the group proceeded to head back to the lodge. “Did you have fun playing in the snow?”

“Yeah, it was fun.” Ayumi beamed.

* * *

“Thank you for waiting, everyone.” Ryoko presented dinner in the dining hall.

“Ryoko-nee's a really good cook.” Aya smiled at her older sister.

“Her two sisters are terrible, though.” Fujita Masahiko added.

“Let's eat.” Professor Agasa dug in.

“Ayumi, what's wrong?” Fumio stopped in mid-sip of his broth.

“I small garlic.” Ayumi whispered. “I don't want to be stinky when we're staying here overnight.”

“You're right.” Conan agreed, taking a sniff.

“Oh yeah.” Aya recalled, as the sister kept the dishes. “Juri, it's time for your medicine. Did you take it yet?”

“Oh no.” Juri gasped. “No way.” she searched through the drawer. “What am I going to do? It's not here.”

“What's wrong?” Masahiko asked.

“My medicine is missing.” Juri replied.

“Is it bad if you don't have your medicine?” Mitsuhiko inquired.

“She'll probably be fine is she misses a dose, but we've never run out before.” Ryoko explained.

“I'll go get some at the hospital.” Masahiko offered.

“But I couldn't ask you to do that.” Juri protested.

“I'm sorry, but can you go for it?” Ryoko requested.

“Let me show off sometimes, okay?” Masahiko chided.

“All right.” Juri relented. “Thank you.”

* * *

“It's snowing pretty hard.” Haibara noted as she and Conan looked out of the window.

“Hello, this is the Ice Room boarding house.” Ryoko took the incoming call. “What? Masahiko-san still hasn't arrived?”

“You're kidding, right?” Aya was surprised. “He should've arrived a long time ago.”

“I'll try calling him.” Juri was on her cellphone.

“I understand.” Ryoko hung up.

“He's not answering his phone.” Juri looked at her eldest sister.

“Could something have happened to him?” Mitsuhiko wondered.

“We can't go looking for someone in this snow.” Haibara remarked.

* * *

“Masahiko's car is still here.” Aya shone the torchlight on the stationary vehicle still parked outside the lodge. “Did he walk there?”

“The weather report said it was going to snow.” Ryoko pointed out. “He must've thought it would be dangerous to take a car. Masahiko-san!” she shouted, retracing their steps down the snowy trail with Aya, Professor Agasa, Conan and Fumio in tow.

“Conan, there.” Fumio's flashlight was directed to a slope on the path.

“Could it be?” Conan gasped, his torchlight trailing down to Masahiko lying on the bottom of the slope.

* * *

“I see.” Professor Agasa was on the phone, the group were now gathered around Masahiko. “I understand. The police can't come for a while because of the snow.” he informed the two sisters. “They told us to preserve the crime scene.”

“Did he slip?” Ryoko wondered.

“Looks like it.” Conan's flashlight was focused on the slope. “The dirt has been scraped away. He probably fell from there.”

* * *

“Well, it probably was an accident.” Professor Agasa concluded, the group were now at the top of the slope.

“The place where Masahiko-san fell...” Conan voiced.

“The snow was piled up strangely at that one spot.” Fumio, too, noticed the same thing. “Look,” he pointed. “The mountain side is piled up high, but the snow is low on the cliff-side.”

“That's not strange at all.” Ryoko informed. “The snow piles up high on the shady side of the mountain.”

“You're right,” Conan agreed. “But...”

“Conan?” Fumio blinked, the other boy had slipped on the snow path he was running towards.

“I'm fine.” Conan gave his crime-solving sidekick a thumbs-up. _What's this?_ He scooped up a handful of snow that had something sparkly in it.

“Is something wrong?” Professor Agasa asked, Conan having swept off the snow and leaving only the piece of plastic.

* * *

“Something's not right.” Conan concluded as the group returned to the lodge. “Why did Masahiko-san put himself in danger by taking the steep side road?”

“That's obvious.” Aya replied. “Because it's shorter.”

“Is that so?” Fumio wondered.

“Yes.” Ryoko confirmed. “You can't take a car down that road, but it's a faster way to town. We rarely use it because it's so dangerous.”

“Then, did you go to town this evening as well, Aya-san?” Fumio inquired.

“I had some business there.” Aya answered.

* * *

“It's my fault.” Juri wept after hearing Masahiko's death. “Because I forgot my medicine, Masahiko-san is...”

“It's no one's fault.” Aya soothed.

“It was probably fate.” Ryoko reasoned.

“That guy got unlucky.” Genta noted.

“He shouldn't have taken the shortcut.” Mitsuhiko agreed.

* * *

Later that night, our two male tiny sleuths-in-training were pondering over the case on the stairway when they heard a door creak.

“Is someone there?” Conan was snapped out of his thoughts.

“There's no one here.” Fumio peered at the dark hallway.

Seeing the storage door slightly open, Conan looked in, spotting an opened Monaka Ice pack on the floor.

“Juri-nee-san, are you okay?” Fumio wondered, a wheezing Juri having hurried to the bathroom.

“Yes.” Juri caught her breath. “Thank you. I just have some trouble breathing.”

“Should we get your sisters?” Conan offered.

“I try not to worry them.” Juri replied. “They both love me like a daughter.”

“Enough for them to do anything for you?” Fumio questioned. “Never mind.” he waved the question off.

“There we go.” Professor Agasa, along with the others, dragged a cooler box into the lodge.

“What are you doing?” Conan asked.

“A cooler box?” Fumio sweatdropped.

“I said they didn't have to.” Haibara sighed.

“We're going to protect them.” Ayumi declared, Genta opening the box cover.

“So you put them in a cooler...” Fumio shook his head, seeing the snow figures Haibara had created earlier.

“That's it!” Conan realized. “That's how she did it.”

* * *

“What do you want to discuss?” Ryoko asked, once the sisters were seated back in the dining hall.

“I actually discovered the truth behind this case.” Professor Agasa declared, Conan using his voice-changing bow-tie to present the solution. “Masahiko-san's death wasn't an accident. The culprit made Masahiko-san fall to his death with a trap in this planned homicide.”

“Wait a minute.” Aya protested. “There were no signs of a trap at the scene of the crime.”

“And we stayed together after Masahiko-san left.” Ryoko reminded. “No one had the opportunity to dispose of the trap.”

“No one disposed of it.” Professor Agasa stated. “The trap is still there. We just can't see it. The culprit used snow and ice. First, the culprit pushed the snow on the side road towards the mountain. Then, Masahiko-san would avoid the mountain side and pass next to the cliff. The culprit restricted his path and placed a sheet of ice they froze in the freezer there.”

“I see.” Mitsuhiko visualized the scenario in his head. “Ice is easily hidden in the snow and eventually melts.”

“Wait, that means...” Ryoko voiced.

“Yes, it leaves no physical evidence.” Professor Agasa concurred. “However, the culprit made a mistake.”

“Conan found this where Masahiko-san fell.” Fumio presented the pieces of plastic wrapping on the table. “And this.” the opened Monaka Ice pack he and Conan had found in the storage room was placed beside the plastic shards.

“That's a package of Monaka Ice that just went on sale yesterday.” Mitsuhiko recognized the pack.

“And these are pieces of the ice cream bar.” Fumio explained. “Kojima-san secretly took it from the boarding house freezer.”

“How did you know?” Genta exclaimed.

“Conan thought it was strange.” Fumio shrugged. “Ayumi smelled garlic even though there were no garlic dishes because Kojima-san was the source of the smell.”

“I was so hungry.” Genta defended.

“When Genta-kun secretly ate the ice cream, the culprit was freezing a pan of water in the freezer to create a sheet of ice.” Conan took over. “Genta-kun's crumbs mixed into the sheet and froze into it. The culprit used the sheet without realizing the pieces were there. There's no other reason pieces of the Monaka bar would be at the crime scene. The culprit must be one of the boarding house's residents.”

“I know.” Mitsuhiko declared. “The culprit is Aya-san.”

“We did witness Aya-san returning from the side road.” Professor Agasa agreed. “She returned with nothing in her hands and her guard was down. In order to set the trap, she would need a cooler to transport the sheet of ice and a shovel to move the ice. It would be impossible without any tools. Besides, the culprit won't have called out to us. Aya-san didn't do it; she is a witness. Most like,y Aya-san simply saw the true culprit returning from the side road. Though, she inspected the side road out of curiosity, she probably didn't notice the trap that was set. If she had, she would have stopped the culprit.”

“You're wrong.” Aya objected. “I didn't see anything.”

“That's enough, Aya.” Ryoko cut in. “He's right. I did it. I'm like a parent to you, Juri. I had to exterminate the evil insect clinging to you. Please understand, Juri. I did it for you.”

“This crime can't be committed unless the sheet of ice is removed from the freezer.” Professor Agasa continued. “The whole time, Ryoko-san was making dinner in the kitchen where the freezer is located. The culprit must be Ryoko-san is what I'd like to say, but unfortunately, Ryoko-san, you aren't the culprit, either. You love Juri-san like a daughter. You would never cause Juri-san to suffer for the rest of her life by killing someone. You're simply protecting the true culprit, Juri-san.”

“I told you I did it.” Ryoko insisted. “I'm the one who hid the ice cream bag.”

“You did it to protect Juri-san.” Professor Agasa stated.

“No!” Ryoko pressed. “Aya, you saw me on the side road in the evening, right?”

“Stop!” Juri shouted. “That's enough. Don't protect me anymore. That's right. I killed him.”

“Is that...” Fumio blinked when he saw Juri pull out her pills from her dress pocket.

“The medicine that went missing.” Professor Agasa realized. “You had it the whole time.”

“But Masahiko-san volunteered to get the medicine.” Mitsuhiko gawked.

“And there's no way to know he'd use the side road.” Genta pointed out.

“It was easy.” Juri confessed.

“You instructed him to take the side road then.” Professor Agasa realized what had occurred.

“I told him it was a shortcut.” Juri admitted.

“Then what he said then...” Ryoko breathed.

“He was confirming our plan.” Juri said. “That this was what I had in mind. It's his fault!” she snapped. “I couldn't forgive him. I'm sorry!” she broke down crying.

* * *

“Congratulations, dear.” Ami deathpanned at Amuro after receiving a call from Professor Agasa to pick Fumio from his house. “Our son got wrapped up in a murder case.”

“Oops.” Amuro looked unapologetic.


	24. Haibara Ai Imprisonment Case

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“Haibara wasn't anywhere.” Genta noted, the rest of the Detective Boys, minus Haibara, were strolling down a street.

“She must've finished shopping by now.” Conan reasoned.

“What happened?” Ayumi wondered.

“If something happened to her, it must have happened here on her way home.” Mitsuhiko surmised.

“Thank you for stating the obvious.” Fumio rolled his eyes.

“Was she hit by a car?” Genta guessed, a car passing by in front of them. “Maybe she got into an accident at a train crossing.” he mused, hearing the warning bell of a nearby train.

“I don't even want to know how you came to _that_ conclusion.” Fumio sweatdropped.

Conan silenced the group when he heard a faint meowing nearby.

* * *

“A scarf?” Mitsuhiko blinked, Conan picking up Chiro's pink scarf.

“That's got nothing to do with Haibara.” Genta pointed out.

“Conan, isn't this...” Fumio recognized the scarf.

“Yeah.” Conan confirmed. “This scarf belongs to the kitten that liked Haibara.”

* * *

“Hey, kitten!” Genta shouted, the group were in the nearby thicket, searching for Chiro.

“Chiro-chan, where are you?” Ayumi joined in.

“He's in here.” Fumio informed, both he and Conan peering into the well.

* * *

With Chiro found, Mitsuhiko rang the doorbell of Higaki Mitsuru's house. “No one's home.” he reported.

“But we came all the way to return her kitten.” Genta complained.

“Haibara's not here, either.” Conan noted.

“The curtains are closed, too.” Fumio peered closely at the windows.

“What's wrong?” Mitsuhiko looked down at the meowing cat in Fumio's arms.

“He's probably hungry.” Fumio guessed.

* * *

“All you got as a single kitten.” Professor Agasa remarked, once the group returned to his house.

“Where did Haibara-san go?” Mitsuhiko wondered, Fumio having put out a feeding dish with milk and allowing Chiro to feed.

“Maybe she was kidnapped.” Genta surmised.

“Okay, got it.” Conan was on the phone. “Detective Chiba, thanks. No accidents have been reported in this area since this morning.” he informed.

“She would've let us know if something had happened.” Professor Agasa noted.

“Haibara, everyone's worried about you.” Conan shouted down his Detective Boys badge. “Call us.”

* * *

“No one's home?” Conan voiced, the group having returned to Mitsuru's place and seeing the sake delivery man pressing the doorbell repeatedly.

“Yeah,” the alcohol shop owner replied. “I rang the doorbell six times, but she's not answering. I don't know what to do, she asked me to come around now. I don't have a choice. Let her know I'll be back another time, Chiro.” he looked at the kitten in Fumio's arms. “Bye.” he left the house.

“It's Detective Chiba.” Conan looked at the Caller-ID when his phone rang.

* * *

“A curious object was just delivered to the police box in Airport Street.” Detective Chiba informed Conan over the phone.

* * *

“A Detective Boy badge?” Conan echoed.

* * *

“Yeah, a driver fixing a flat tire in that area turned it in.” Detective Chiba replied.

* * *

“That's pretty far.” Genta complained, Professor Agasa was driving them to Airport Street. “We've been driving for an hour already.”

“Actually, it's only been fifty minutes.” Mitsuhiko pointed out.

“Apparently, it was the police box near the interchange.” Conan added.

“We should be there in a few minutes.” Professor Agasa assured.

“Did Haibara really come this far?” Genta wondered.

“It's hard to imagine.” Mitsuhiko noted.

“It wouldn't have made any sense.” Fumio was deep in thought.

“Some new homes have been built near the airport.” Conan remarked.

“Apparently, their selling points are their convenience and total soundproofing.” Professor Agasa stated.

“I see the police box.” Ayumi declared.

* * *

“This is it.” Detective Chiba headed Haibara's badge over.

“That's definitely Ai-kun's badge.” Professor Agasa confirmed.

“Haibara-san probably thrown it on the ground to tell us where she was being taken.” Mitsuhiko surmised.

“But we haven't heard from a kidnapper.” Detective Chiba pointed out. “We can't assume she's been kidnapped.”

* * *

“I'm with the police.” Inspector Megure shouted at the gate, ringing the doorbell. “Is anyone there? Is this Higaki Mitsuru's house?” he opened the door and flashed his identity badge. “What happened?” he gasped, seeing Mitsuru on the floor in front of him. “The Hokkaido police asked me to check on you.” he explained, after settling Mitsuru and Haibara down. “That must have been quite the disaster.”

“I'm fine.” Mitsuru assured. “Have you arrested Naoshi's... the person who killed my husband?”

“No, unfortunately.” Inspector Megure admitted. “An investigator from Hokkaido should arrive to ask you about that.”

“I don't know anything.” Mitsuru answered. “I was tied up here in my home the whole time.”

“I was hoping to ask you about your husband's relationships.” Inspector Megure corrected.

“I can tell you about that.” Mitsuru spoke.

* * *

“That was some bad luck.” Professor Agasa looked at his charge, resting on the sofa.

“Do you feel better?” Ayumi asked.

“Yeah.” Haibara nodded. “Sorry to make everyone worry.”

“Not at all.” Mitsuhiko beamed. “I'm just glad you're alright.”

“That was some shopping trip.” Genta noted.

“A coincidence, huh?” Conan mused.

“Too much of one.” Fumio expressed.

“That was an awful coincidence for her.” Haibara voiced. “Someone killed her husband while her house was being robbed.”

* * *

“Yes, I heard about the incident on the news.” Mitsuru admitted. “But I couldn't move. I was with Ai-chan.”

* * *

“Haibara,” Conan turned to the girl. “You called it an awful coincidence, right? Is that what you really think? Do you really think it was all an coincidence? Why did the robber drag you inside the house? If they'd just left you alone, you would've thought no one was home. And why were you put to sleep twice? Was the robber really in this house for that long?”

“It took time to crack open the safe.” Haibara explained.

“That's what she said, right?” Conan prompted.

“Then, when you were put to sleep the second time, what was she doing?” Fumio continued the questioning. “To be more precise, did you even see the robber and her _at the same time_?”

“I couldn't have.” Haibara replied. “They came up behind me and put a towel over my face so I couldn't see anything. I wasn't in the position to worry about... wait a minute.” she realized what Conan and Fumio were implying. “Don't tell me you two... you think the woman and the robber are the same person.”

“But why would she do that?” Ayumi asked.

“She used me to create an alibi for the murder.” Haibara guessed the reason.

“The robbery and murder.” Conan listed the case points. “And Haibara, who was dragged inside this house. Maybe it wasn't a coincidence, but all part of a plan.”

“Are you saying she used Chiro so I would corroborate her alibi?” Haibara asked.

“No one would suspect her if she traveled to and from Hokkaido while you were asleep.” Conan reasoned. “What if that was her plan?”

“That's impossible.” Haibara protested. “There's no way she could have committed the crime.”

“A direct flight to New Chitose Airport takes an hour and a half.” Fumio stated. “So, how long would it take to get here to the airport?”

“It takes about an hour by car, so that's two and a half hours.” Mitsuhiko supplied.

“And if it's two and half hours one way, then a round trip would take...” Fumio prompted.

“Five hours.” Ayumi did the maths.

“Waiting for the victim at the airport would have taken some time, too.” Professor Agasa added.

“It would take at least five and a half hours.” Mitsuhiko concluded.

“I woke up and saw her just after two.” Haibara recalled. “I was asleep for just barely five hours.”

“Then, explain why your detective badge was found on Airport Street.” Fumio stated.

“That's it.” Haibara gasped. “The doorbell. Someone came to the door and rang the doorbell. It was around 2.30.”

“The liquor store delivery.” Genta remembered.

“Six times?” Haibara echoed, after hearing the store owner's statement. “I only heard it ring twice. And it didn't ring continuously. It rang more slowly.”

“That settles it, then.” Fumio gave Conan a knowing smile.

“Yeah.” Conan agreed. “The doorbell and station announcements were recordings set to play by the culprit. Then, it all makes sense.”

“There are two houses, aren't there?” Haibara, too, realized the same thing.

“I see.” Mitsuhiko's mind started turning. “There wasn't enough time for the culprit to travel to and back from Hokkaido. But if Haibara-san awoke inside a different house near the airport...”

“The Airport Village near the airport?” Genta blinked.

“If Ai-chan was being kept inside one of those homes...” Ayumi mused.

“The culprit wouldn't need as much time traveling to and from the airport.” Professor Agasa concluded.

“That would save two hours.” Mitsuhiko added.

“The turtle made you think the two homes were one.” Conan smirked.

“The whole terrarium can be transported.” Mitsuhiko remarked.

“She played the recording of the doorbell at the fake house when the liquor store delivery was supposed to arrive.” Genta continued.

“I was put to sleep twice so the culprit could transport me and the turtle.” Haibara guessed.

“But how can we prove there were two houses?” Genta wondered. “There are a lot of homes.”

“Can you recall anything else, Haibara?” Fumio pressed.

Just then, Chiro jumped onto the table, knocking the empty drink can off the table with his tail.

“What was that?” Haibara suddenly gasped.

“The can started rolling in a different direction?” Ayumi echoed after Haibara recounted the empty can's unusual behavior.

“Yes.” Haibara nodded. “When I woke up in the second house, the can didn't budge.”

“That's it!” both Conan and Fumio chorused in unison.

“Genta, lift the edge of the table slightly.” Conan instructed. “Watch this.” he rolled the empty can across the tilted table. “It changed direction, right?” he asked as the can rolled back on the table.

“How does this relate to Haibara-san's story?” Mitsuhiko was confused.

“This is what these two are trying to say.” Haibara cut in, showing them the article on the newspaper.

“Apparently, the floors are like a slide.” Conan explained.

* * *

“I found it immediately in the real estate company's list.” as if on cue, Takagi placed a call to his boss. “I'm sending you a photo of the house.”

* * *

“You certainly are unlucky.” Inspector Megure noted, receiving Takagi's photo and showing Mitsuru the picture of the replica living room. “The fake home you purchased and remodeled was poorly constructed.”

Cornered, Mitsuru broke down.

* * *

“This Haibara Ai girl,” Ami looked intently at her son after Fumio recounted the case to his parents after dinner. “You seem unusually interested in her well-bring.”

“Well...” Fumio flushed, turning away from his mother's intense stare.

_He won't..._ Ami recognized the tell-tale signs of a crush. _Oh no..._

“Fumio-kun, go play your PSP. I'll try to see if I can knock your mother back to her senses.” Amuro excused his son, seeing Ami was still shell-shocked by the sudden revelation in their son's life. “You _do_ realize that this day would come sooner or later.” he noted amusedly.

“Isn't he too young for this kind of thing?” Ami bemoaned. “He's growing up too fast!”


	25. The Troublesome Emergency Patient

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“Ai-chan, do you want to come to my house?” Ayumi offered. “We have some cookies my mom baked yesterday.”

“Sorry, but I'll pass.” Haibara replied.

“Then, I'll eat those cookies.” Genta beamed.

“Genta-kun, you like broiled eel.” Mitsuhiko reminded. “I will eat the cookies.”

“Wait!” a policeman hollered from the back, chasing after a man. “Stop!”

“Stay back.” the man knocked the children over and grabbed Ayumi as a hostage. “You'd better stay back. I'm sorry.” he muttered. “I'm really...” he mumbled and passed out.

* * *

At Beika Hospital later...

The severely injured man was hurried into ICU as Dr. Kido Tatsuhiko and nurse Morita Natsumi prepared for surgery.

“You don't know who he is?” Inspector Megure echoed.

“No.” Takagi confirmed. “All he had on him were a knife and wallet. He had nothing identifying on him. His fingerprints didn't match any criminal records, either.”

“Why are a policeman chasing him?” Inspector Megure asked.

“For questioning.” Detective Chiba answered. “While being questioned about 100 meters away from Conan-kun and his friends, he suddenly ran away.”

“Since he had a knife, was he trying to commit a robbery?” Inspector Megure wondered.

“Do you think he got into a fistfight with a policeman?” Conan suggested. “The man had an injury on his head.”

“Apparently, he was already unsteady when he was questioned.” Detective Chiba stated. “He was stopped he was acting suspicious.”

“What happened to him?” Inspector Megure asked his subordinate. “We're with the police.” he flashed his badge to the attending surgeon. “What's the patient's status?”

“He's suffering from intracerebral hemorrhaging from a blow to the head.” Dr. Kido replied. “It's a very dangerous and unpredictable situation.”

“Did someone hit him?” Inspector Megure inquired. “Or did he fall?”

“I can't be sure.” Dr. Kido answered.

“I see.” Inspector Megure sighed. “We don't know who he is or what happened.”

“Are there any signs of dental work or surgery?” Conan asked. “Maybe his medical records can tell us something.”

“And?” Inspector Megure prompted.

“There are no signs of surgery.” Dr. Kido replied. “I'll have one of our dentists to see about his teeth. We should have answers for you later.”

“Inspector.” Mouri entered the scene. “I see.” he noted after Inspector Megure summarized. “You have no clues.”

“We'll just have to wait for him to regain consciousness.” Inspector Megure was resigned.

“Detective Takagi, what is this thing sticking out of his wallet?” Fumio peered closely at the tab of paper poking out of the victim's wallet.

“It's a newspaper clipping.” Takagi pulled out the newspaper cutting. “See?”

“That's the political and business scandal that has the media buzzing.” Mouri recognized the headline.

“Could this have something to do with this?” Detective Chiba gasped. “Could someone be trying to kill him?”

“If that's the case, they may try to kill him again.” Takagi realized.

“Station officers at the hospital immediately.” Inspector Megure instructed. “Coordinate with Department Two. Ask the district public prosecutor's office for assistance, too.”

“What do you think?” Haibara turned to Conan and Fumio.

“Ayumi-chan,” Conan stated. “Just before he collapsed, did he say anything to you?”

“Now that you mention it...” Ayumi recalled. “Conan-kun, let's investigate.” she declared. “I just can't believe he's a bad man. I want to help him.”

“Okay, let's give it a shot.” Conan agreed.

* * *

“He came from that way, right?” Genta pointed down the street, the group revisiting the crime scene.

“He was being questioned about 100 meters away, right?” Mitsuhiko confirmed. “Then, he ran.”

“Let's check it out.” Conan took the lead and the group split to question the residents and storekeepers.

“I remember him.” Kijima Ine recalled. “Over there.” she pointed to the road opposite of her store. “He got out of a taxi right over there. The person who got in after him was rather violent.”

“Maybe he go the injury on his head then.” Mitsuhiko reasoned.

“I”m not so sure.” Fumio went into musing mode. “Kijima-baa-san, do you know which company that taxi belonged to?”

“Who knows?” Kijima smiled lightly. “My eyesight hasn't been very good lately. But, I remember the rough fellow very well. He's a naughty kid who's been shopping here since he was little. Around this time, he should be...”

* * *

At the gaming arcade...

The group found Ishii Atsushi in front of the gaming console, who explained that the reason he pushed his way into the taxi was because he was already late for work and would be fired for being late again.

* * *

“He told me to hurry up because he was nearly late for work.” Sasano Hideto confirmed.

“Then, do you remember the man that came before him?” Fumio asked.

“The customer before him?” Sasano mused. “He didn't seem very well from the moment he got in.”

“Where did he ask to go?” Ayumi took over.

“Nowhere.” Sasano replied. “He just told me to follow the car in front. But I didn't see a car. So he said, 'Fine, I'm going out.'”

“Where did you pick up that man?” Conan inquired.

“Let's see.” Sasano referred to his notes. “Here it is Haido-cho Sanchome.”

“That's quite far.” Fumio noted.

* * *

“Hey, isn't Haido-cho Sanchome...” Haibara trailed, after Sasano drove them to the secret pit-stop.

“Yeah, I was thinking of the same thing.” Conan agreed.

“What?” Ayumi blinked.

“This is the next town over, but geographically, it's actually right next to that other place.” Conan explained.

“What other place?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“That.” Fumio pointed to the Beika Emergency Medical Center that was still under construction.

“That answer is in the hospital.” Mitsuhiko concluded.

* * *

“Are these rubber skid marks?” Conan jumped back to avoid marring the evidence in the parking lot.

“Could he have meant this car?” Ayumi wondered.

“If that's true, then what is that car doing parked here?” Mitsuhiko inquired.

“The more important question: who does this car belong to?” Fumio posted.

“Kido?” Haibara read the owner's sign.

“This is...” Conan picked up a dropped button.

“It must be his.” Haibara concluded. “Look, there's something that could be evidence here.” she turned to the pieces of thread stuck to the painted bench. “There are two different types of clothing fibers stuck to the bench in two places.”

“Now, we just need an explanation for his possessions.” Conan noted. “Maybe...” inspiration stuck him when the 'Fresh Paint' sigh blew off the bench and flew right smack into Genta's face.

“Isn't this the article from last week's magazine?” Fumio peered at the electronic article Conan had downloaded into his phone.

“The question is what's behind this.” Conan pulled the article's corner. “I knew it.” he gasped.

* * *

“Inspector, why did you ask me to come here?” Dr. Kido asked, meeting up with Inspector Megure at the car park.

“Inspector!” Mouri had also ran into the scene.

Conan took the opportunity to fire his tranquilizer dart onto Mouri's neck. “Excuse me.” imitating Mouri's voice using the voice-changing bow-tie, Conan presented the case's solution. “Allow me to explain. First, Dr. Kido, isn't that your car? ”

“Yes, but what is going on?” Dr. Kido inquired.

“I'll be direct.” Mouri stated. “The unidentified man ended up that way because of you, Dr. Kido. Conan.”

Said boy ran out of his hiding place and stood in front of Ayumi. “Ayumi-chan, when that man grabbed you, did you notice anything?”

“Yeah,” Ayumi nodded. “When he grabbed me...”

“What else?” Conan pressed.

“I smelled something.” Ayumi remembered. “The same smell I noticed at the hospital.”

“In other words, it's the common smell tying the victim to the culprit.” Conan continued his explanation.

“This is ridiculous.” Dr. Kido snorted. “If he smelled like a hospital, or in other words, disinfectant, he could've been a patient at another hospital. You're forcing the connection between myself and the culprit.”

“It's not the smell of disinfectant, but paint.” Ayumi cut in.

“Yes, that smell that stuck to the culprit and victim right here.” Mouri declared. “The two of them fought here, and the freshly applied paint stuck to them. As the fleeing culprit tried to shake off the victim, his button tore off. He was thrown to the ground and hit his head. Then, he descended the stairs to the vacant lot and got in a taxi.”

“Inspector Megure!” Takagi called, as he and Detective Chiba ran in. “We had forensics dust this car's windows for fingerprints at Mouri-san's request, and they match the patient's.”

“Also, the button Conan-kun found here is the same as the ones on his clothes.” Detective Chiba presented the fallen button.

“But why did he do this?” Inspector Megure was puzzled.

“His motive was the magazine clipping.” Mouri answered.

“What?” Inspector Megure gasped. “Does this have something to do with the bribery case, then?”

“No, it's what's on the back.” Mouri corrected. “Isn't that right, Doctor?”

“This is it.” Takagi showed his supervisor the clipping. “It's an ad for Dr. Kido's book.”

“It happened a month ago.” Dr. Kido confessed, recalling how the patient had pleaded for him to help cure his daughter on the train and he had refused him. “I have a wife and child. I couldn't risk my relationship with the woman with me becoming public. It should've ended then. If he hadn't shown up this morning when I was returning from the night shift... he thought my behavior was suspicious and found me through the journal I was reading. According to his story, she died because her chronic condition took a turn for the worse. It wasn't about whether or not I could have saved her if I examined her then. He couldn't forgive me for lying. That's what he told me. And I agree. So, I thought it was divine punishment instead of coincidence or irony that he was brought to my hospital and became my patient. You may not believe me, but I wanted to save him. If I had regarded his daughter the same way, then maybe... I... regret what I've done.”


	26. The Tense Tea Party, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“Eri!” Mouri hurried to Haido General Hospital after reading Ran's short letter and going through his list of unread text messages. “Eri!” he burst into the hospital room.

“Why are you making so much noise?” Eri chided.

“Why?” Mouri tried to catch his breath. “You had surgery.”

“It was just appendicitis.” Eri deathpanned. “The surgery ended a while ago. The anesthesia wore off, and I just woke up.”

“It was just your appendix?” Mouri sighed.

“It wasn't 'just' her appendix?” Ran retorted. “What were you doing with your phone off?”

“I'm sure it was horses, mahjong or pachinko.” Eri stated.

“You idiot, I was working...” Mouri protested.

“Wasn't it pachinko?” Conan cut in. “Your jacket has a weird wrinkle near your butt. Doesn't that mean you were sitting in a chair for a long time? Also, your phone must been off because you were somewhere loud enough that you couldn't hear your phone ringing. You don't like to set you phone on vibrate because you think it's gross. And also, between your shoelaces, you have a pachinko ball. You were definitely playing pachinko.”

“I see.” Eri muttered. “You were captivated by pachinko while I was having an emergency.”

“I just meant to go for a little while, but I was having such unusually good luck...” Mouri defended. “Anyway, you should just squeeze one out so you can leave. You know, when you experience appendix troubles, they say you can leave the hospital once you fart.”

“Don't tell me you think you're being clever.” Eri twitched. “Get out, you hack detective!” she tossed a pillow at Mouri, throwing him and Conan out.

* * *

“Sheesh,” Mouri muttered. “I came here because I was worried about her, and she's getting mad at me?”

“Is that you, Mouri-sensei?” Amuro approached Mouri and Conan. “What are you doing here? Are you not feeling well?”

“No, it's my wife.” Mouri replied. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard one of my friends was hospitalized and came to see him, but he apparently disappeared.” Amuro replied. “The nurses told me you'd been here before, so maybe you know.” he turned to Conan. “A man named Kusuda Rikumichi.”

“Who is that?” Conan feigned ignorance. “I don't know him.”

“I was hoping he'd return the money I lent him.” Amuro remarked. “Are you sure you don't know him? You're amazing.” he noted after Conan nodded.

“So, waiting for kaa-san to get her Pap Smear results was just an excuse, right, tou-san?” Fumio droned.

“Not really.” Amuro corrected himself. “And do I even want to _know_ how you know that term, Fumio-kun?”

“Kaa-san gave me the desensitized version of 'The Talk, Part Two' a while back.” Fumio replied.

“And here she tells me you're growing up too fast.” Amuro shook his head. “Excuse me.” he turned his attention to Happo Tokie and Beppu Katsuki who were visiting Kosaka Juri in hospital. “Do you know a patient called Kusuda Rikumichi?”

“Kusuda Rikumichi-san...” Beppu trailed. “I'm not sure. Who is he?”

“Do you have a photo of him?” Happo asked.

“No, it's fine.” Amuro assured. “What about you, Mouri-sensei?” he asked as the two women left. “What would do you if someone suddenly asked if you knew someone by name?”

“I'd probably respond like those ladies did.” Mouri replied.

“That's right.” Amuro concluded. “Most people don't have totally confidence in their own memory. That's why before answering no, they ask for information about the person beside their name. That's why you're amazing, Conan-kun. You knew he was a stranger based on just his name.”

“You shouldn't take children so seriously.” Mouri snorted. “Plenty of people would say they don't recognize someone by name even when they've met them. Some people only know others by a nickname.”

“Tou-san?” Fumio blinked, noticing Amuro's startled expression.

“Is something wrong?” Mouri had also noticed Amuro's unusual reaction to a young boy's countdown of the hospital's elevator.

“No, nothing.” Amuro assured. “My nickname is 'Zero', so I thought someone was calling me.”

“Why Zero?” Mouri was puzzled. “Isn't your name Tooru?”

“Being transparent means there's nothing there.” Amuro explained. “Hence Zero. That's how children come up with nicknames.”

* * *

“Your wife suddenly developed appendicitis?” Amuro mused, after Mouri informed him of Eri's condition.

“I shouldn't have worried.” Mouri remarked.

“Not true.” Ami corrected.

“I suppose.” Mouri concurred.

“So, how's it?” Amuro asked his lover.

“I'm clean.” Ami responded.

“For now, kaa-san.” Fumio pointed out. “How would we know what would happen next year?”

“I think I taught you a little too well.” Ami looked at her son.

Just then, an unison scream of horror sounded from Kosaka Juri's room.

On cue, the four male detectives hurried back to the room.

* * *

“Did that scream come from this room?” Mouri asked, the quartet stopping in front of Kosaka's room.

“Is something wrong?” Amuro knocked on the door.

“Reina?” Beppu exclaimed, the three women were gathered around the fallen Suto Reina as Amuro pushed the door open.

“Kaa-san...” Fumio looked at his mother who had also arrived to the scene.

“Already on it.” Ami produced her flip-phone.

* * *

“I can't believe someone was poisoned at the hospital.” Inspector Megure was called to the crime scene.

“By the time the doctor arrived, it was already too late.” Takagi reported.

“Who's the victim?” Inspector Megure asked.

“Haido resident, Suto Reina.” Takagi referred to his notes. “Forty-two years old. Today, she came to the hospital with two of her high school classmates to see Kosaka Juri, another one of her classmates. Suto-san arrived before her other two friends.”

“The cause of death seems to be asphyxiation caused by cyanide poisoning.” Inspector Megure concluded. “But why was she drinking tea at a hospital?”

“The patient Kosaka-san liked tea.” Takagi responded. “And they always held tea parties when the four of them got together.”

“Then, that means those three had the opportunity to poison the victim.” Inspector Megure narrowed down their suspects.

“But the victim drank several cups of tea without any problem when she suddenly seemed to be in pain.” Takagi pointed out. “It's possible she had been made to swallow a poison capsule beforehand.”

“Then, it's possible the crime wasn't committed here.” Inspector Megure remarked.

“Something's not right.” Conan cut in, both he and Fumio had their heads over Suto's phone. “Look.” he turned the screen to the detectives. “The phone dropped over here had lots of pictures on it, but the dead lady has chopsticks in her right hand.”

“You can't touch things at a crime scene.” Mouri scolded Conan as Inspector Megure claimed the phone.

“What's strange about it, though?” Inspector Megure peered at the phone screen. “It's normal for people to hold chopsticks in their right hand.”

“But the cup that broke on the floor...” Fumio pointed to the shattered cup. “Take a closer look; there's a lipstick stain on the right side of the handle. Won't that mean she's drinking tea with her left hand?”

“But why would the victim use her left hand?” Mouri wondered.

“It's because she had something in her right hand.” Amuro answered. “For example, she may have been looking at pictures on her phone. When people are focused on one thing, they ignore all others. Even if the position of the cup or its handle were changed, she would pick it up without noticing. The culprit must have used this tendency to make the victim drink the poison by switching their own poisoned cup with the victim's. Putting poison in your own cup and switching it with the victim's is safer than directly poisoning the victim's cup. No one seemed to be using saucers, so it would be easy to adjust the cups' positions.”

“There's no way we could've switched them.” Beppu protested.

“Only her tea had lemon slices in it.” Kosaka stated.

“And look closely at the color of everyone's tea.” Happo added.

“All three are different.” Inspector Megure noted, looking at the three different types of tea on the serving table. “From right to left, there's brown, blue and yellow.”

“The victim is drinking a reddish tea.” Takagi pointed out.

“You couldn't get those teas confused.” Inspector Megure agreed.

“In any case, if someone poisoned the tea, there must be a container or bag used to contain the poison.” Mouri reasoned. “Maybe a thorough search of the room will turn up something.”

“The culprit may still have it on its person, too.” Inspector Megure concurred. “After we search the three of you, we'll question you separately in another room.”

* * *

“I made everyone's tea.” Kosaka admitted. “After all, they were my guests. But all I did was put the tea bags in cups and add water.”

“Are you the only one who touched the cups?” Inspector Megure questioned.

“No,” Kosaka replied. “Happo-san and Beppu-san got the cups out of the cupboard.”

“In other words, it would make sense to find everyone's fingerprints on the cups.” Inspector Megure concluded.

“But why would you make so many different types of tea?” Takagi asked. “Normally, you only use one.”

“Everyone knows I like herb tea, so I had received quite a few as gifts.” Kosaka explained.   
“Happo-san bought some as well. I thought we could compare teas.”

“I see.” Mouri noted. “As the person who suggested you compare teas and then made the tea, it was easiest for you to poison the tea.”

“I didn't do anything like that.” Kosaka protested. “Everyone saw me pour the water and Suto-san drank nearly half her tea before she collapsed. Besides, as I told you before, she would have noticed immediately if I switched my poisoned cup with hers.”

“Why?” Inspector Megure questioned.

“I was drinking a blue herb tea called 'Butterfly Tea'.” Kosaka replied. “She would have noticed if I had switched ours. Suto-san was drinking a red herb tea called 'Hibiscus Tea'.”

“Do you know what the other two were drinking?” Amuro asked.

“Happo-san was drinking a brown herb tea called 'Peppermint', and Beppu-san was drinking a yellow herb tea called 'Chamomile'.” Kosaka answered.

* * *

“I was drinking Peppermint.” Happo confirmed. “I thought it would be green, but I was disappointed when I saw it was brown. You know, because of the color 'peppermint green'. Juri, who knows more about tea than I do, was giggling.”

“But red and brown look pretty similar.” Mouri pointed out. “It would've been easiest for you to switch...”

“They look nothing alike.” Happo snapped. “Mine was a common brown, but Reina's was a garish red. Surely, she couldn't have confused these.”

“Did everyone choose their own tea?” Amuro asked.

“Yes.” Happo nodded. “We lined them up on the table and chose what we wanted. Once we finished drinking, we wiped the cups with tissues for our next cup. Juri had been drinking a blue tea before we arrived. She said it was healthy but bitter, so she didn't recommend it.”

“How were the four of you seated?” Inspector Megure questioned.

“Let's see.” Happo recalled. “Clockwise, it was me, Reina, Katsuki and Juri, I believe. Katsuki and I looked from either side of Reina at the cellphone photos she was looked at.”

“Who suggested you look at the photos?” Takagi asked.

“Katsuki.” Happo answered. “Apparently, Juri had shown them to her before. She wanted to show everyone the next time we visited. But Reina wouldn't let go of her phone. Katsuki and I had to look over her shoulder. She's always been that way. She's possessive, self-absorbed, and indifferent. Her current husband is my ex-boyfriend. She took him from me. But I didn't want to hurt her.” she recanted. “Katsuki probably hated her more than I did. She was upset about the heavy loss she suffered because of Reina.”

* * *

“Of course I was upset.” Beppu retorted. “The stock Reina recommended to me crashed. I nearly lost a fortune, but Reina made a killing selling all her stock before it dropped.”

“You have our sympathies....” Inspector Megure and Mouri chorused.

“Now I'm drowning in debt.” Beppu complained. “She could've told me if she knew it was going to fall.”

“Is that why you killed her?” Inspector Megure asked.

“If that would've brought my money back, I might have considered it.” Beppu snorted. “I don't want to speak ill of the dead, but I think Juri might have hated her, too. Juri's son failed his entrance exam because of Reina.”

“What do you mean, failed?” Inspector Megure pressed.

“Juri and Reina's children are classmates.” Beppu explained. “They are trying to get into the same middle school, but Reina's son, who came over to study the day before the exam, was sick with the flu. Juri's son got it from him, and he didn't have time to worry about the entrance exam anymore.”

“You have our sympathies....” Inspector Megure and Mouri repeated.

“Juri seemed so optimistic about the results before the exam.” Beppu sighed.

“In other words, everyone had a motive to kill the victim.” Mouri concluded.

“We told you.” Beppu insisted. “None of us would ever do that. We all resented her, but Reina had always been that way, so we just dealt with it.”

“Hey.” Conan whispered, hiding behind a white screen with Fumio beside him. “Did anyone leave the room once you started drinking tea?”

“Yes,” Beppu nodded. “Tokie and I each left once separately. I went to the restroom. Tokie went to buy snacks for the tea. I believe Juri and Reina were in the room the whole time. Reina went to get hot water, but that was before Tokie and I arrived.”

“When did you two...” Mouri fumed at the two boys.

“Did the cups belong to the hospital?” Fumio asked, as Conan nursed the bump Mouri's punch had caused.

“Those were Juri's cups.” Beppu replied. “She said she keeps them sparkling clean with baking soda.”


	27. The Tense Tea Party, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairin

“Inspector Megure.” Takagi reported in. “We finished examining the hospital room, but we didn't find a container or bag that could have contained the poison.”

“I see.” Inspector Megure noted. “It's likely the culprit threw it away outside.”

“Also, we didn't find poison in the spilled tea.” Takagi added.

“Then, how was she poisoned?” Inspector Megure wondered.

“Actually, the poison was on...” Takagi answered.

“Was it on the teacup's...” Conan voiced.

“Hey!” Ran snapped, grabbing the boy by the back of his collar. “What are you doing? I looked all over the hospital for you. I told you not to wander off like that.”

“But...” Conan whined.

“Not the time for one of your flashbacks, love.” Ami chided, recognizing Amuro's faraway expression on his face.

“Sorry.” Amuro apologized.

“Come on.” Ran pulled Conan away. “We're leaving.”

“But the case...” Conan complained. “A lady was poisoned and died.” he freed himself. “Inspector Megure, Detective Takagi and Kogoro-ojisan had no idea who did it.”

“But Conan-kun, look outside.” Ran reminded. “The blue sky turned bright red. It's time for children to go home.”

“What?” Conan blinked, his mind churning until he arrived at the culprit's trick.

“So let Dad and the police handle the case.” Ran stated. “Come on.” she scolded, noticing Conan had ran off again.

“I know that face.” Ami grinned, seeing Amuro's pleased smile as the couple looked out of the window.

“So do I, kaa-san.” Fumio beamed in his mother's arms. “Tou-san figured it out, right?”

* * *

“The lip of the cup?” Kosaka echoed. “There was poison there?”

“Yes.” Takagi confirmed. “Just around the lipstick stain. When the victim Suto Reina-san brought her cup to her lips, she drank the poison along with the tea. There were no traces of poison inside the cup.”

“You think one of us poisoned the cup just before Reina drank her tea?” Beppu questioned.

“Wouldn't someone have noticed?” Happo asked.

“Nobody did anything like that.” Kosaka assured.

“Weren't you listening to Amuro?” Mouri retorted. “The culprit didn't poison her cup. They poisoned their own cup and switched it with the victim's.”

“And we're saying that's not possible.” Beppu insisted. “I was drinking yellow chamomile.”

“I was drinking brown peppermint tea.” Happo repeated.

“And I was drinking blue butterfly tea.” Kosaka added. “Even if one of us swapped our tea with the red hibiscus tea Suto-san was drinking, she would've noticed immediately.”

“But only the victim had a lemon slice in her tea, right?” Mouri inquired. “If her view is limited, she may not have noticed the change in color.”

“They look nothing alike.” Beppu retorted.

“In any case, it's a fact that the culprit killed Suto-san by poisoning her cup.” Inspector Megure stated. “Because we didn't find the container for the poison in this room, Beppu-san and Happo-san, the culprit must be one of you two, who left the room one after another.”

“I see.” Mouri mused. “After poisoning the cup, the culprit left the room and disposed the container.”

“Wait a minute.” Beppu voiced. “I just went to the restroom.”

“And I went to the convenience store to buy snacks for the tea.” Happo defended. “I even have a receipt.”

“A search of the restroom's plumbing and the way to the convenience store should tun up something.” Mouri concluded.

“But the culprit must be pretty bold.” Conan noted. “If I poisoned the cup, I definitely wouldn't leave. If someone wiped the cup, moved it, or poured a new type of tea while I was gone, I wouldn't know which cup was poisoned anymore.”

“The, how and when did the culprit poison the cup?” Takagi wondered. “And where did the container for the poison go?”

“We'll have to search the room again.” Inspector Megure noted.

“That's not necessary.” Fumio cut in. “Since there's only one person who could've openly poisoned the cup without leaving.”

“Isn't that right, Zero-nii-chan?” Conan beamed at Amuro.

“Well?” Mouri asked the younger man. “Do you know who it is?”

“I think I know, thanks to Fumio-kun's hint.” Amuro replied. “She was able to poison the cup and dispose the container. Without leaving the room, she applied poison to her own cup, and watched for an opportunity to switch it with the victim's. Only you could have done it.” he turned to Kosaka. “Kosaka Juri-san.”

“Wait a minute.” Happo started. “How could she have poisoned her own cup? Juri was drinking tea from that cup the whole time.”

“Did you forget?” Amuro reminded. “The poison was on the side you'd drink from when holding the cup in your left hand. As long as you're careful not to use your left hand, you'll never touch the poison.”

“Then, when did she poison the cup?” Takagi asked.

“She probably brought the poison to the hospital before she was hospitalized.” Amuro reasoned. “She poisoned her own cup the day her friends were visiting and threw the container away outside her room somewhere.”

“You're the one who's forgetting.” Beppu retorted. “Juri was drinking a blue herb tea, and Reina was drinking a red herb tea. Even with a lemon, she couldn't have swapped them.”

“That lemon is the key to her trick.” Amuro stated. “The truth is...”

“It's really blue.” Conan noted, having borrowed Kosaka's butterfly tea bag and prepared a a cup of blue tea. “This butterfly tea sure is mysterious.”

“You're touched evidence again.” Mouri scolded.

“We just got the water from the hospital.” Fumio informed, a slice of lemon in hand. “This lemon, too. What do you know?” he mused, dropping the lemon slice into the tea and watching the liquid turn red. “The blue tea starts turning red after dropping a lemon in.”

“The acid in the lemon causes it to change color.” Amuro explained. “There are other herb teas that react the same way, like the blue mallow tea you're always drinking.” he cast a look at Ami. “Naturally, if acid makes it turn red,” he walked over to the cupboard. “Then adding alkaline baking soda,” he took out the pack of baking soda from the shelf. “Kosaka-san used to clean her cups.” he removed the lemon slice and poured in the baking soda. “Makes it blue again. In other words, these are the steps Kosaka-san took. First, knowing your friends were visiting, you asked Suto-san to come a little early. You had her go get hot water so you could have a tea party. While she was gone, you poisoned the side opposite the one you were using with the poison you brought to the hospital and threw the container away outside your room. Once your friends arrived, you suggested comparing teas and wait for Suto-san to choose the hibiscus tea. The hibiscus tea is a purplish red which looked very similar to butterfly tea when lemons are added. After Suto-san chose the hibiscus tea, you put in her cup a teabag whose contents were switched out for butterfly tea beforehand, put a lemon on top, and added water, allowing you to serve Suto-san butterfly tea the color of hibiscus tea.”

“Then, how did she switch the cups?” Mouri asked.

“She did it when Suto-san and her friends were looking at the pictures on her phone.” Amuro replied. “First, she put a lemon in her own poisoned cup of blue butterfly tea to make it turn red and nudge Suto-san's cup with her own. She pretended to take her own cup while actually taking Suto-san's, removed the lemon and adding baking soda, making it blue again. Then, she nudged the poisoned cup with her own again, putting the cup handle on the left side from Suto-san's perspective, because Suto-san was distracted by the phone, she knew she could make her pick up the poisoned cup with her left hand. Am I wrong?”

“You make it sound as though you were watching, but what proof do you...” Beppu pressed.

“Your left thumb is red.” Conan turned Kosaka's hand up, spotting a smudge of lipstick on the thumb.

“There was one other thing the culprit had to remove from the crime scene.” Amuro added. “The lipstick from Suto-san's original cup. It would be strange to find lipstick on Kosaka-san's cup. She quickly wiped it off with her finger, but lipstick can be difficult to remove without soap.”

“In other words, if this red color matches Suto-san's lipstick, it will prove she did it.” Inspector Megure noted.

“If you examine Suto-san's cup, you'll find proof as well.” Amuro stated. “A significant amount of baking soda was mixed into the tea.”

“But how did she add the baking soda?” Mouri queried.

“It's simple.” Ami shrugged. “She just sprinkled the sugar cubes on the table with the baking soda and hid it in the bottom of the container; there's nothing suspicious about adding sugar to herb tea, after all.”

“But Juri had no motive to kill Reina.” Happo protested. “She may have hated Reina for making her son fail the exam.”

“But she won't kill someone over that.” Beppu agreed.

“It wasn't just my son that caught Suto-san's son's flu.” Kosaka stated.

“Did you get it too?” Happo blinked.

“Yes.” Kosaka admitted. “I was pregnant then. My doctor told me the flu can negatively affect the fetus. I developed neurosis and miscarried. At first, I thought I was careless or just had bad luck. But then when I heard what Suto-san's son had to say...” she recalled what Suto Tsuneo had told her, that it was Reina's idea to have him spread his influenza to Kosaka's son to cut down the competition.

“How awful...” Happo breathed.

“But that sounds like Reina.” Beppu noted.

“I'm just as awful.” Kosaka sighed. “I let you fall to suspicion so I could get away with my crime. It's too bad, though. I chose butterfly tea for it's detoxifying effects. I thought it might erase the dark murderous intent inside me before I committed the crime.”

* * *

“I can't believe she poisoned her own guest.” Mouri noted, the group were now heading out of the hospital.

“I wonder if this hospital is cursed.” Takagi wondered. “It sounds like something happened here before.”

“Like what?” Amuro prompted.

“The announcer Mizunashi Rena was a patient here.” Takagi replied. “An injured man caused a panic trying to force his way into a room. There was a bomb scare, too.”

“Detective Takagi.” Conan cut in before Takagi gave away too much. “Shouldn't you go back to the station?”

“I don't have time to be hanging out here.” Takagi looked at his wristwatch.

“You don't know anything about a man called Kusuda Rikumichi, do you?” Amuro asked before Takagi ran off.

“Come to think of it, we found a damaged vehicle a few days before the bomb scare.” Takagi remembered. “It belonged to a Kusuda Rikumichi. Apparently he was a patient here, but he suddenly disappeared. It's a mysterious case. There was blood all over the inside of the damage vehicle. Some of the bloodstains were less than a millimeter across. According to forensics...”

Both Amuro and Ami tuned out the rumbling Takagi and exchanged a look, not noticing Conan was watching them intently.


	28. The Scarlet Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Ami flipped open her phone and read the mew message typed in an all-too-familiar code and smiled to herself. “Agasa-san,” she placed a call to Professor Agasa. “I'm sorry to impose...”

With Fumio settled for the night, she boarded her motorcycle, put on the helmet and made her way to Raiha Pass with a confidential document tucked in her bodysuit.

* * *

Meanwhile...

“Raiha Pass?” Camel echoed, after Jodie had him drive them to the side road. “We're going to the place where they killed Akai-san?”

“Yes.” Jodie replied. “I think we'll find something there.”

“We'd better hurry.” Camel warned, spotting the various Security Bureau's vehicles behind them. “We've got some strange cars on our tail. What has Akai-san been doing since then? Do you know where he might be? Maybe someone who uses the same phases? You know, Akai-san always say 'The odds are 50-50, so we're in the same boat.'”

“It's him!” Jodie recalled Okiya Subaru. “I told you about him before. The strange man with glasses I ran into at the Beika department store. No way.” she gasped, seeing the barrier of cars in front of them. “They're barricading the road with cars.”

“Clench your teeth so you don't bite your tongue.” Camel cautioned. Speeding up, he ran the car up against a protruding rock structure to bypass the barricade. “Who the hell are those guys?” he wondered.

“They must be working for them.” Jodie concluded. “Now that they know Shu is alive,they'll capture and use as a bait to draw out Shu. Focus on getting them off our tail.”

“This isn't good.” Camel noted, the car started to wobble. “The steering wheel keeps turning to the right. I must have damaged the tire and bent the rim when I went up over that rock. The air's leaking out of the tire.”

“Do something, Camel.” Jodie urged. “They're right behind us.”

“There's nothing we can do.” Camel growled. “I'm sure Akai-san could manage something, though.”

“Open the roof.” Akai instructed from the back of the car as the three Security Bureau's vehicles closed in on them. “Open it, Camel.”

“Yes.” Camel opened the car's roof to reveal Akai sitting in the backseat.

“Five seconds.” Akai stated. “Up ahead, there's a 200 meter stretch of straight road. Once we're there, keep the car steady for five seconds. We'll end this stupid chase.”

“Where have you been?” Jodie asked. “Why are you in the car?”

“Everything gone exactly like the boy's plan.” Akai stated.

“You mean Conan-kun?” Jodie realized.

“Yeah.” Akai confirmed. “In order to secure me without resistance, they're trying to capture one of my close associates. To maintain secrecy, they came while you were out driving and isolated from the other FBI agents.” he pulled on his leather gloves. “They knew you'll come to Reina Pass since you were beginning to doubt my death.” he loaded his shotgun. “Camel, the 200 meter straight is after the next right turn. Our ally in Japan is already waiting there.”

“This is crazy.” Jodie protested. “The car's shaking because the tire is losing air. You can't possibly aim a gun.”

“It's not a problem.” Akai steadied himself with the back of the driver's seat. “I can account for regular movement.”

“The right turn.” Camel declared. “The straight.”

Taking aim, Akai fired his shot at the car's front tire, deflating it and causing the other cars to crash.

“They're not following.” Jodie looked back. “We must have lost them.”

“Camel, turn back.” Akai instructed as Ami's motorcycle pulled up beside them.

* * *

“But we can't pursue him under these circumstances.” Kazami reported to Amuro.

“Are you okay?” Akai asked the stranded officers once Camel pulled over.

“Akai...” Kazami stammered.

* * *

“Is Akai there?” Amuro shouted over the phone.

* * *

“Everyone, drop your weapons now!” Ami barked, removing her bike helmet.

“Mizuno-fukubuchō...” Kazami gasped and gestured for his men to lower their weapons.

“Don't blame me.” Akai shrugged. “You're the ones who came after us. If I hadn't done that, people would've died. But I have a proposal. Will you trade that phone for the gun I just fired? It's been a while, Bourbon. No, you're Amuro Tooru now, right? To make up for ruining your friends' cars, I have a gift for you. It's the gun Kusuda Rikumichi used to shoot himself. If you investigate how he acquired it, you might find something. This is Japan. You're better suited for it than FBI. I suspected you since you were part of the Organization. But letting it slip to the kid that your nickname is 'Zero' was a mistake, Furuya Rei. Not many names produce the nickname 'Zero'. Since Mizuno Ami used to be part of our team, it was relatively easy to find you. You probably meant to turn me over to them, raise your prestige and get closer to the heart of the organization. But let me tell you something; don't get distracted by what's in front of you and pursue the wrong prey. I'd rather not have you for an enemy, if for Fumio-kun's sake. Also, I still feel bad about what happened to him.”

“Which part of the massive circular from earlier this week do you gentlemen _not_ understand?” aside, Ami stared down her lover's subordinates.

“Our orders...” Kazami started.

“The non-aggression agreement co-signed by Hisoka-buchō, Ikari-buchō and the former Kuroda-buchō.” Ami brandished the document in Kazami's face. “This statement _expressly_ states that there will be no more further aggressive actions taken against the FBI agents and I will be the front-line contract between the Bureau and FBI. I trust there will be no more incidents like what happened tonight, gentlemen. Have I made myself _clear_?”

“Yes, madam.” Kazami relented.

“Shishou.” Ami turned to her sharpshooting master. “It's really been a long while. Sorry,” she shook her head amusedly. “Still can't get used to you without long hair. You owe me an afternoon at the firing range.” she deathpanned.

“Give me a time and place.” Akai quirked a smile.

“And you'd better explain to Fumio why his _Uncle Akai_ is playing Dodge-ball without the ball.” Ami grinned.

“I will.” Akai assured. “Camel, let's go.” he tossed the phone back to Kazami and Camel drove off.

“Furuya-san...” Ami growled, pulling rank on the dark-skinned male on the other side of Kazami's phone. “We _will_ have a very long talk about this. Project Cerebo is already running its last stages and I trust you can make an _educated_ guess on which country we're collaborating with this time round. I don't know what animosity you have with Akai-shishou and I don't _care_ ; I did _not_ spend the last _seven_ years working alongside Agent James Black and his team just to have you screw up whatever working camaraderie I have with them.”

* * *

On the other side of the line, Amuro winced as he listened to Ami's rant, mentally cursing himself for forgetting that not only was Ami's rank higher than his, she had also been on a collaboration mission with the FBI for a while.

* * *

“Furuya-san, what are our orders?” Kazami asked as Ami rode off.

* * *

“Mizuno-fukubuchō has already overridden my orders.” Amuro stated. “Pursuing them now will mean insubordination.”


	29. Taiko Meijin's Match of Love, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“It's nearly time.” Conan noted, the Detective Boys were riding Professor Agasa's Beetle.

“Nearly time?” Mitsuhiko echoed.

“Taiko Meijin, Haneda Shukichi's Meijin title match.” Conan answered. “Apparently, the only title he's missing is Meijin.”

“He has a Sextuplet Crown?” Professor Agasa mused.

“Yeah.” Conan nodded. “Once he regains the Meijin title today, he'll have a Septuple Crown. He'll be the second person to achieve the feat.”

“Then, the seven Yumi-san mentioned...” Mitsuhiko stated.

“Yeah, probably.” Conan replied.

“Since he'll have all seven, she'll know what's inside the envelop.” Mitsuhiko was excited.

“I wonder what's inside.” Ayumi gushed.

“Probably a marriage registration form.” Haibara suggested.

“Is Yumi-san getting married?” Mitsuhiko exclaimed.

“But we don't know that yet, right?” Fumio pointed out.

“Hello?” Conan took the call when his cellphone rang. “Sera-no-nee-chan?” he exclaimed. “What's going on?”

“I just moved to a new hotel.” Sera informed. “I was wondering if you wanted to come hang out. I'm at Hotel Hyde Pride. It's pretty near the detective agency.”

“I can't.” Conan answered. “I'm in a car right now. We're just visiting power spots together.”

* * *

“Taiko Meijin?” Conan blinked, seeing the panting shogi master at the Meiji Jingu jinja grounds.

“You...” Haneda recognized the youngsters.

“What's wrong?” Conan inquired. “Isn't your Meijin match today?”

“Actually, I...” Haneda started. “I just need a change in pace.”

“Isn't the match being held at a hotel in Yamanashi?” Professor Agasa wondered.

“Yes.” Haneda answered. “So I took two hours so I could come here to pray.”

“It's Taiko Meijin.” Conan played the gushing fanboy. “Can I have your autograph? See?” he grinned. “Even if anyone's watching, it'll just look like we're fans. There's no way you'd come here on the day of your match, so people will think you're a lookalike.”

“You're right.” Haneda concurred.

“Then, could you just tell us why you really came here while pretending to give me your autograph?? Conan handed the detective notebook over.

* * *

“No way!” Ayumi exclaimed.

“Yumi-san was kidnapped?” Mitsuhiko echoed.

“Did you find anything at the well?” Conan asked.

“Actually, I don't know where it is.” Haneda admitted. “Wait, you know where it is?”

“Well, there's only one well in this shrine.” Fumio stated. “In fact, we were just there. And apparently, visiting it gives you good luck.”

“This shrine's best well-known well is Kiyomasa's Well, dug by Kiyomasa Kato.” Conan went into historical professor mode.

“Kiyomasa served Hideyoshi.” Ayumi added.

“He was a valorous warrior.” Mitsuhiko remarked. “He's also known for building Kumamoto Castle.”

“A TV star who using a photo of the well as her screen-saver suddenly became popular and now it's known as a power spot for good luck.” Haibara stated.

“But doesn't Taiko refer to Hideyoshi Toyotomi?” Mitsuhiko wondered.

“I don't get it, though.” Professor Agasa mused. “How do you know this text indicates this shrine? One of the seven shrines is attacked by thieves. The sanctuary is emptied on the second day. The priest's daughter hiding in the well is kidnapped as well.”

“The seven refer to the seven major shogi titles.” Fumio explained, his vast knowledge of the various chess variants coming into play. “Meijin, Ryuo, Kio, Osho, Oza, Kisei, and Oi.” he listed with his fingers. “Since the sender called himself the Headless Shogi Player and instructed him to decipher his game record. Originally, shogi was not about capturing your opponent's King, but stealing his treasure. Assuming the empty sanctuary means the king or treasure has disappeared, of the seven titles, the two that do not contain the character 'king' are Meijin and Kisei. Taking into account that it took two days for the treasure to disappear, then it has to be one of the matches played across two days; the Meijin match, Ryuo match, Oi match, or Osho match. Narrowing down to the only title match without 'king' in it's name, it's the Meijin match. In other words, a shrine whose name contains 'Meijin', or 'Meiji Jingu'.”

“Isn't that the reason why you left your title match to come here, Taiko Meijin?” Conan asked, leading the group to the well.

“Since the priest's daughter hiding in the well was kidnapped, I thought I could find a clue about Yumi-san's abduction around the shrine's well.” Haneda reasoned.

“The culprit said he'd wait until your time ran out.” Professor Agasa read from the card. “How long is that?”

“About three hours and fifty minutes.” Haneda looked at his watch.

“So, our time limit is 3 pm.” Haibara concluded.

“Then, there's no time to waste.” Conan declared. “Let's go back to Kiyomasa's Well.”

* * *

_This is an incense chariot piece._ Conan picked out the shogi piece from the water.

“Is that the clue the culprit left behind?” Professor Agasa wondered.

“It says 'second game' on the bottom of the piece.” Conan looked at the chess piece's bottom.

“There's a weird diagram on the back of the piece.” Mitsuhiko pointed out.

“Doesn't it look like a face?” Genta looked closer. “Like this.” he placed a finger to his lips, indicating silence.

“First, we need to decipher the meaning of the numbers inside the circle.” Haibara cut in.

“Seven and three...” Conan mused. “Even if seven's the seven titles, what's the three?”

“The only thing that comes to mind is the third-level professional league.” Haneda inputted.

“It's Detective Satou.” Conan received a call.

“Hello, Conan-kun?” Satou voiced over the line. “This is Satou. Do you know where Yumi is? She missed work for two days in a row, she hasn't been home, and she's not answering her phone. You don't know where she is, do you?”

“Yeah, we know.” Conan replied. “We're looking for her right now. Yumi-san got really drunk a couple nights ago and took a taxi to a strange town. She lost her phone and wallet, so she called us from a pay phone with the change in her pocket. But she ran out of money and the call ended. I know Yumi-san will find some way to contract us. You should get a patrol car ready when she does.”

“So, we just have to decipher the code.” Haibara noted.

“Does the incense chariot mean anything else?” Mitsuhiko pressed.

“Apparently, it's supposed to help with easier births.” Haneda stated. “It's what they call red-light district workers.”

“And” Haibara asked. “Why were red-light district workers called incense chariots?”

“It's probably because it's also called the lance.” Fumio answered.

“But why are they called that?” Ayumi was puzzled.

“That's because the piece moves in a straight line any amount of spaces.” Fumio replied.

_Wait._ Conan was struck by inspiration.  _Wasn't Kiyomasa Kato..._

_Then, this seven and three..._ Haneda came to the same conclusion.  _I see.._

_So that's what it means._ Conan gave the shogi player a knowing grin.

“It looks like you've figured it out.” Haibara noted. “You do plan on telling the rest of us, don't you?”

“Professor, bring the car around.” Conan instructed. “We'll tell you once we get there.”


	30. Taiko Meijin's Match of Love, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“Yureizaka?” Ayumi, Genta and Mitsuhiko gasped in unison as they read the street sign.

“Why did they name it something so terrifying?” Mitsuhiko stammered.

“Apparently, it's because the desolate slope is flanked by temples.” Fumio reasoned, the history geek in him coming out. “See, it's written on the side of the post.” he pointed.

“Well, our destination is a graveyard in the middle of the slope.” Conan added. “Right, Taiko Meijin?”

“Yeah.” Haneda confirmed. “The code we found at Kiyomasa's well is written on a lance piece. In other words, the seven and three refer to lances or spears. Kiyomasa Kiyo's seven lances refer to the seven generals he recruited to strength his forces at the battle of Shizugatake known as the Seven Spears. Additionally, the three lances refer to the Three Great Spears of Japan, Otegine, Hinomotogo, and Tonbogiri. The man who was one of the Seven Spears and owned one of the Three Great Spears was Fukushima Mosanori, who received Hinomotogo from Hideyoshi Toyotomi.”

“While drinking sake with Kuroda Kanbei's retainer, he won the spear in a bet.” Professor Agasa recalled.

“The upside down T-piercing the overlapping circles, is the cartographic symbol for graveyards.” Conan supplied.

“I see.” Haibara realized. “So Fukushima Masanori's grave is just right up ahead.”

“Do you have any ideas, though?” Professor Agasa asked, the group were heading towards the gravesite. “About who kidnapped Yumi-san.” he clarified. “Since he called himself the Headless Shogi Player, he must be connected to shogi.”

“Not really.” Haneda admitted. _Could it be..._

* * *

“That's a weirdly shaped tombstone.” Ayumi noted.

“It's actually a memorial pagoda.” Conan corrected. “The small thing next to it is his son, Masatoshi's grave.”

“But there's nothing here.” Mitsuhiko pointed out.

“Since it's a memorial pagoda, isn't his actual grave somewhere else?” Professor Agasa reminded.

“In Nagano, Kyoto, and Wakayama.” Conan replied.

“There's one more at Hiroshima as well.” Fumio added. “But considering the time restrictions I figured it's quite unlikely he'd send us to another prefecture after Meiji Jingu.”

“There's something behind the grave.” Genta stated, in all fours as he peered behind the stone structure.

“It's a shogi board.” Mitsuhiko noted, Genta crawling behind the statue and taking out the shogi board.

“These pieces are stuck on the board.” Haibara pointed out, the group looking intently at the strange formation.

“But why use a nail?” Professor Agasa wondered.

“He probably wants us to come to the place indicated by the nail.” Conan reasoned. “Is this some kind of strategy?” he looked at the two shogi experts.

“No, this formation doesn't look familiar.” Haneda admitted, Fumio shaking his head in negative. “What's curious is the rook and bishop pierced by the nail and the overlapping gold and silver generals. Also, there's only one each of the other pieces, but for some reason, there are two bishops. I have no idea what any of this means, though.”

“Maybe it's a 'he'.” Genta suggested. “From over here, it looks like the character for 'he'.”

“It looks like the number 7 from over here.” Mitsuhiko walked over to the other side of the board.

“7 seems more possible.” Haibara concluded. “The first code was about the seven major shogi titles, and the second was about Shizugatake's Seven Spears.”

“There's something written on the side of this piece.” Ayumi voiced.

“It says 'show-off'.” Mitsuhiko read.

“There's something on the bottom of the gold general, too.” Professor Agasa stated. “It says 'lazy'”

“The pierced rook and bishop say 'show-off'.” Conan went into thinking mode. “And the gold general on top of the silver general is 'lazy'.”

“I got it.” inspiration stuck Mitsuhiko. “The gold general riding the silver general is a lazy slacker. The bishop is making itself look powerful by wearing the rook, so it's a show-off.”

“That... kind of makes sense.” Fumio conceded. “The rook is the strongest shogi piece, after all. So, what does it mean?”

“I didn't get that far...” Mitsuhiko stammered.

“It's odd, though.” Haneda stated. “The gold general is a hard worker that moves as much as the king and the bishop is a powerful piece that can move any distance diagonally. It doesn't need the rook to look strong.”

“Two and a half hours until the time limit.” Haibara reminded. “If you want to save Yumi-san and return to the match, you have only about thirty more minutes. It's almost like he knows who we are. Don't you agree?” she looked at Conan. “We were originally a six person group. Then, we were joined by a seventh.” she turned to Fumio. “We're just like the pieces on the board.”

“No, you're wrong.” Haneda corrected.

“The newest member of the group...” Conan added.

“Isn't that bishop.” both Haneda and Conan chorused.

“Hurry back to the car.” Haneda shouted, both he and Conan arriving at the same decision.

“Yumi-san is at Haido-cho.” Conan supplied.

* * *

“The Seven Deadly Sins?” Haibara echoed, once they were headed towards Hotel Hyde Pride. “That's what the shogi pieces were referring to?”

“The Seven Deadly Sins were originally the eight sins of gluttony, lust, greed, sorrow, wrath, sloth, vanity, and pride.” Conan explained. “Vanity merged with pride and sorrow merged with sloth. Envy was added later to make the modern seven.”

“Exactly like the pieces on the board.” Fumio realized.

“But which pieces refer to which sins?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“There were two bishops.” Ayumi reminded.

“The pierced bishop had 'show-off' written on it, right?” Fumio stated. “So, that's vanity. Based on the other bishop's position, that should be envy.”

“Since the bishop can only move diagonally, it can only land in certain squares.” Haneda explained. “Because the bishop was on that square, it must have been captured and placed there. In other words, it's the newcomer's envy.”

“I see.” Professor Agasa noted. “The gold general labeled 'lazy' is sloth overlapping the sorrowful silver general, and the rook overlapping the vain bishop is pride.”

“Also, the rook is placed in an aggressive and high-handed position.” Haneda added. “High-handed is another words for prideful people.”

* * *

“We're at the hotel, but where do we look?” Professor Agasa wondered, the group having arrived at the hotel lobby.

“We can just ask the reception.” Fumio suggested.

“Haneda-sama, we were told to escort you once you arrived.” the male receptionist informed.

* * *

“That's far enough.” Tanimori warned, a finger resting on the detonator button. “Only Haneda Shukichi is allowed to enter. If you violate the rule, the bomb I set inside the sofa will explode. I warned you not to tell anyone, but you brought friends. At least, they don't look like police officers.

“So, it was you, Tanimori-san.” Haneda stated.

“It's time to replay that match from ten years ago.” Tanimori declared. “Have a seat. I'm sure you've forgotten, but I had you in check with my 4-2 promoted pawn.”

“Same position, king.” Haneda recounted his move. “I haven't forgotten that match once in these ten years. Take your promoted pawn with my king.”

“Then, my winning 4-8 rook will explode.” Tanimori picked up his next piece. “Now I've forked your king and silver general. I win.”

“4-7 bishop.” unfazed, Haneda announced his next move.

“Same position, rook.” Tanimori played his next move.

“5-1 king.” Haneda declared.

“5-3 lance and check.” Tanimori countered.

“6-2 king.” Haneda made his counter move.

“4-2 rook and check.” Tanimori was in check position once more.

“7-1 king.” Haneda countered. “Now my king is safe and your is checkmated. When I realized I could win, I got excited and my fingers slipped on the piece I was playing with, making a sound.”

“4-7 rook was a brilliant comeback move.” Tanimori admitted. “Either way, I would have lost.”

“I'm sorry.” Haneda stated. “I overheard you calling the hospital before the match. Wanting to end the match quickly, I was unintentionally rude to you.”

“Then you said that...” Tanimori gasped. “So I could head to the hospital sooner. I'm a loser all around.”

“In any case, we should disarm the bomb.” Haneda reminded.

“It's all right.” Tanimori assured, revealing the disconnected detonator. “It was just a bluff. She's just drugged and asleep, Taiko Meijin.”

“Another case closed, huh?” Fumio beamed at the Detective Boys.


	31. Three First Discoverers, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

  
“By the way, did you see yesterday's Tokyo Derby?” Mitsuhiko asked excitedly.

“The Spirits vs. Noir match, right?” Genta confirmed.

“I did.” Ayumi beamed. “Hide got a hat trick, right?”

“That's right.” Mitsuhiko gushed. “It's no wonder he's their star player. It's too bad Fumio wasn't able to watch it; the match is very exciting.”

“Who said I didn't?” Fumio corrected. “I watched the live stream; the save by Masunaga during half-time is impressive.”

“Rum?” Haibara echoed after Conan told her of the new Black Organization operative. “'Daccha'?”

“Not the comic book character, the liquor.” Conan sweatdropped. “You know, the stuff pirates drink.”

“I've no idea what you mean.” Haibara declared. “I told you before, I don't know much about liquor. But I know the Organization's number two's code-name is Rum. At the very least, that's what I heard while I was there. I never met them, though.”

“What are they like?” Conan pressed. “Are they a man or a woman?”

“I said I never met them.” Haibara reminded. “While I was in the Organization, I heard all kinds of descriptions: a large brawny man, an effeminate man, an old man. Some people claim they were all his doubles. Don't tell me Rum's searching for me.”

“No.” Conan blinked. “The Organization uses types of liquor for all its code-names, right? I was just wondering if there was someone named Rum...”

“What is it about Rum?” Fumio suddenly cut in.

“You were just talking about it.” Genta stated.

“That Rum is looking for someone.” Mitsuhiko added.

“They're probably talking about Ramune.” Fumio supplied.

“Ramune?” the other three youngsters chorused.

“I bet you're thirsty after playing soccer in the park.” Conan fibbed. “So I was looking to see if the shop over there was selling ramune.”

“Normal juice is fine.” Genta pointed out.

“Yeah,” Conan agreed. “But Fumio haven't had the chance to try ramune, right?”

“Don't drag me into this.” the light blond boy muttered.

“That kid is still there.” Ayumi blinked, looking down the space between the buildings and spotting Ganno Mamoru standing on front of an apartment. “Look.” she pointed. “The boy standing in the other street. He was standing there on our way to the park. He was staring into the distance, too.”

“What is he looking at?” Mitsuhiko wondered.

“Maybe someone's about to fall from a high place.” Genta guessed.

“Let's just ask him.” Fumio suggested.

_He's looking at an apartment?_ Conan wondered, the group running down the street divider and followed the direction Mamoru's eyes were looking. “What are you...?”

“The lady...” Mamoru suddenly burst out crying. “They killed the lady.”

“Did you see someone kill her?” Conan asked.

“No, but she told me.” Mamoru sniffled. “Three men are going to visit the lady's apartment. If she doesn't come out after they leave, she's probably been killed and I should call the police.”

“So, the woman...” Haibara prompted.

“She's not coming out!” Mamoru wailed. “It's been about thirty minutes since the third man left.”

“Did you call the police?” Mitsuhiko inquired.

“Not yet.” Mamoru replied. “I'm too scared.”

“Do you remember what the three men looked like?” Conan asked.

“Yeah.” Mamoru nodded. “There was a really big man, a young man with long hair like a girl, and an old man with white hair.”

“Do you think...” a shocked Conan turned to Haibara.

“It's too much of a coincidence.” Haibara agreed. “But Rum always had another special trait: the descriptions of his appearance were varied, but the trait was always the same. I can't remember what it was...”

“In any case, show us to the woman's room.” Conan instructed. “It's that apartment, right?”

* * *

“Madam!” Mamoru called out, ringing the doorbell.

“There's no answer.” Mitsuhiko noted.

“Excuse me.” Genta stepped forward and opened the door. “It's unlocked.”

_I knew it..._ Conan frowned, Genta swinging the doo r open to reveal Komai Yasue hanging from the ceiling of her apartment unit.

“Don't.” Fumio stopped Mamoru from entering. Flipping open his phone, he made a call to the police

“Shouldn't we call from an ambulance, too?” Mitsuhiko suggested.

“No, look around her feet.” Conan stated. “If this was really suicide, there would be a stool or something by her feet. Since that's missing, it means someone killed her and made this look like a suicide. It was probably one of the three men this kid saw.” he turned to the sobbing Mamoru. “If it's been about thirty minutes since the third man left, we're too late.” _it's too odd, though._ He mused, kicking his shoes off and entering the house. _Even though he was panicked enough to forget the stool, there are no signs he left the room in a hurry._ He looked around. _And I don't see the Yoshikawa lines left behind when a strangulation victim struggles. I'd understand if he strangled her after putting her to sleep. But who would plan that much and forget the stool? An envelope?_ He noticed the unopened envelope on the floor. Pulling out a handkerchief, he picked up the envelope. _A bank envelope._ He spotted the bank name listed on the bottom of the envelope. _It's new, too. Which means the wallet on the desk... there should be the money she withdrew._ He put the envelope back down and picked up the wallet. _But there's barely anything in here._ He opened the wallet and found the bill porch empty. _All that's inside is the bank's ATM usage details. According to this, she withdrew 500,000 yen three hours ago, but the money's nowhere to be found. Which means he killed her for the money._

“In any case, it's clear this sloppy crime wasn't their work.” Haibara stated.

* * *

“I see.” Inspector Megure noted, he and his team were on-scene. “So, you were watching this apartment at the woman's requested.” he repeated what Mamoru had told him. “And after the three men came and left, you came here to find her like this?”

“Yeah.” Mamoru nodded.

“The deceased is scriptwriter, Komai Yasue-san.” Inspector Megure informed Takagi who was overseeing the removal of the corpse. “If this is murder, we'll have to find people among her associates who may have resented her and them in for a lineup with this kid.”

“We have the names of the three people the victim was meeting here today.” Takagi reported, after checking Komai's laptop. “They're in the scheduling software installed in the computer on the desk. This afternoon, she met Sakaba Ronpei, Habanaka Kuramichi, and Shibakaru Denji. It's written on the notebook in the drawer and calendar, so it's probably correct. Also, we can't find the 500,000 yen the victim withdrew from the bank today anywhere.”

“So, they killed her for the money, made it look like a suicide and ran.” Inspector Megure concluded. “Find out who they are and call the station.”

“What's wrong?” Ayumi asked worriedly, seeing Mamoru's shocked expression.

“They're here...” Mamoru stammered. “The three men who came to the woman's room are here.”

“Could you point them out while keeping your face hidden behind the railing?” Conan hurried to Mamoru's side.

“Okay...” Mamoru nodded. “That stocky man over there,” he pointed out to the three men at the back of the crowd. “That long-haired man to the side, and the old man behind him.”

“Inspector Megure.” Conan turned and whispered into the Inspector's ear.

“Got it.” Inspector Megure nodded. “Takagi.” he looked at his subordinate and the two officers headed down to apprehend the three suspects.

* * *

“Give me a break, officer.” Sakaba chided, as he, Habanaka and Shibakaru were brought in front of Komai's apartment. “I just came to check out the incident in the neighborhood. Why am I being questioned?”

“We're just passers-by.” Shibakaru added.

“Or do we look like wanted men?” Habanaka asked.

“No, a witness saw you visiting the victim's apartment between 2pm to 3pm, the presumed time of her death.” Inspector Megure stated. “The witness also said the victim Komai Yasue-san asked him to watch the apartment because one of the three men coming to visit may kill her.”

“Kill her?” Sakaba echoed. “Isn't this a suicide?”

“A suicide?” Inspector Megure echoed.

“Normally, a hanging is a suicide.” Habanaka pointed out.

“How do you know the victim hung herself?” Inspector Megure pressed.

“It seems I can't hide it.” Shibakaru sighed. “I an Shibakaru Denji. We became drinking buddies after a chance meeting at a bar. This photo proves it.” he pulled out his flip-phone and showed the photograph. “She said she was worried so I came to talk, but I had no idea it had driven her to suicide.”

“So, she was already dead when you arrive?” Takagi asked.

“Yes.” Shibakaru replied. “So, I have no idea what she was concerned about. If you want to know, try asking these two; not that I know who they are.”

“I came to get the money she borrowed.” Sakaba stated. “We're old friends, so I lent her a bunch of money. But now, I need the money, so I asked for it back.”

“Was the amount 500,000 yen?” Takagi questioned.

“How do you know that?” Sakaba exclaimed.

“Excuse me.” Habanaka cut in. “I'm actually a producer at TV Tohto. I hired Komai-san to write a script for this fall's special mystery program. She said the script was ready, so I came to pick it up.”

“Where was the script?” Inspector Megure inquired.

“It was just inside the door, so I took it and gave it to my AD.” Habanaka explained.

“Was she already hanging then?” Takagi asked.

“Yes.” Habanaka replied. “I don't know what was worrying her, but the script was due, so I didn't have time to think about it.”

“Yeah, but...” Conan voiced. “Wouldn't you normally call the police if you saw that?”

“So, why didn't you?” Fumio inquired.

“They're right.” Haibara agreed. “No matter what you had to do...”

“You'd call the cops.” Genta finished.

“Especially if you knew the victim.” Mitsuhiko added.

“Surely, you didn't have a reason you couldn't call the police.” Conan suggested.

“Who is the kid in the glasses?” Habanaka inquired.

“They were the first ones to discover the body.” Inspector Megure answered. “Though it seems you're the actual first discoverers. In any case, we'd like to question you separately, so come inside one at a time.”

“I've got an alibi.” Sakaba supplied. “The money was supposed to be deposited by 2 pm, but when I checked the ATM, there was no money. So I came here to get it myself. I got scared when I saw her dead body, so I rushed back to the ATM. I had to pay off my card today, so I was forced to use the money I had.”

“How is that an alibi?” Inspector Megure questioned.

“ATMs have security cameras.” Sakaba reminded. “If you compare the time between when I left and came back with how long it takes to get from here to the bank and back, you'll know I didn't have time to kill her.”

“Is the bank nearby?” Takagi asked.

“It's pretty close.” Sakaba answered.

“I'll go with him to the bank to check.” Takagi offered and took Sakaba off.

“Is it okay if I smoke while we wait?” Shibakaru requested. “I've got a portable ashtray.”

“You really don't remember the order in which they came?” Inspector Megure knelt down and asked Mamoru.

“No, I know it's them, though.” Mamoru confirmed.

“We'll need to question them more.” Inspector Megure sighed. “I see.” he noted after Sakaba and Takagi returned. “He really was on the ATM's security camera footage?”

“We can smoke?” Sakaba was astonished to see Shibakaru with a lit cigarette. “I'll have one, too.”

“But sir, he was away from the ATM for forty minutes.” Takagi whispered to his superior. “It's hardly an alibi. It takes less than twenty minutes to get there and back.”

“Would you like to use mine?” Shibakaru offered his lighter, seeing Sakaba's lighter could not be lit up.

“Shall we get those interviews over with?” Sakaba asked, seeing Habanaka's disapproving look.

“You're first.” Inspector Megure stated and led Sakaba into the unit, with Takagi closing the door behind them.

Conan strolled over to the discarded cigarette butt to take a closer look, before glancing at the other two suspects.  _I see._ He grinned, walking back to the group.


	32. Three First Discoverers, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“What are we going to do?” Mitsuhiko asked, Conan had rejoined the group. “We can't attend the interviews.”

“That's obvious.” Haibara noted.

“It's okay.” Conan grinned. “I stuck a Detective Badge in Detective Takagi's pocket.”

* * *

“I thought so.” Inspector Megure noted. “You're the one who stole the 500,000 yen from the room.”

“Sorry.” Sakaba grinned nervously.

“Where did you find the money?” Takagi asked.

“Around there.” Sakaba pointed. “Under the feet of her hanging body, the bills were rolling... I mean, they were scattered.” he corrected himself.

“Are you sure you didn't kill her before stealing the money?” Inspector Megure pressed. “Along with her phone. There's charger, but no phone.”

“Sir, could Komai-san have stood on the bills?” Takagi suggested.

“500,000 is not enough.” Inspector Megure reminded. “10 million would be about 10 millimeters tall, though. Next/.” he let Sakaba out. “You, the large man. Come in.”

“The victim weighs approximately 47 kilos.” Takagi noted. “If the culprit lifted her to hang it, then...”

“He's our prime suspect.” Inspector Megure agreed once Habanaka entered.

* * *

_Tape on the soles of his sandals?_ Conan wondered, spotting the scotch tape that was stuck on Sakaba's sandal after he sank down on the corridor, exhausted from the intense questioning.

* * *

“I told you earlier.” Habanaka reiterated. “I only took the script left in the entryway.”

“Was it really in the entryway?” Inspector Megure asked.

“Forensics say they found three sets of footprints.” Takagi added.

“Actually...” Habanaka started. “A bag of manuscript paper was left by her feet. I felt bad, but I entered the apartment with my shoes to pick it up.”

“Under her feet again.” Inspector Megure sighed.

“It's unusual for someone to be using manuscript paper in this day and age, though.” Takagi pointed out.”

“Indeed.” Habanaka agreed. “All the errors and corrections make it hard to read. I always have my AD type up the scripts before I read them.”

“By the way, how many papers were there?” Takagi inquired.

“It's a two hour special, so about a hundred pages.” Habanaka replied.

“They weren't rolled up or folded, were they?” Takagi pressed.

“No.” Habanaka answered.

“A hundred pages of standard paper are about 1 centimeter tall.” Inspector Megure mused.

“It's not enough for her to stand on, either.” Takagi noted.

“Why didn't you call the police right away?” Inspector Megure questioned.

“I'd like to keep this off he record, please.” Habanaka requested. “She's actually the ghostwriter of a famous scriptwriter. I thought it would cause problems if the script was made public due to the case. I wanted to send her off on her own soon, but the scriptwriter fell in love with the realistic and original crimes she wrote.”

“By the way, what is the title?” Inspector Megure asked.

“It's the 'Moonlight Night Thieves' series.” Habanaka supplied.

“I know that one.” Takagi beamed. “They use impressive means to steal from evil wealthy individuals. But in the final episode, they killed the couple they robbed, and the group disbanded.”

“That part really affected me, too.” Habanaka admitted. “But in this script, they were supposed to get the group back together. The couple they thought they killed was actually alive. I never thought it would become her posthumous work, though.”

* * *

“We got into a fight.” Shibakaru confessed. “It was a couple of days ago at a bar.”

“You mean you got into a fight with Komai-san?” Takagi asked for clarification.

“Yeah.” Shibakaru nodded. “The truth is, she asked me to come here so she could apologize. The bar's owner and the other customers saw us fighting. I doubted anyone would believe me if I said I found her hanging when I got here.”

“That's why you left her hanging without reporting it?” Inspector Megure inquired.

“Yeah.” Shibakaru admitted. “I had no idea that boy watched me come and go.”

“What caused the fight?” Takagi questioned.

“It was a stupid argument.” Shibakaru assured. “We just got a bit noisy because we'd been drinking. Answer it already!” he snapped, hearing a ringtone. “Your phone's ringing.”

“But that's none of our ringtones.” Takagi replied.

“It's mine.” Shibakaru dug out the flip-phone from his pocket. “I forgot. I changed my ringtone the other day.”

* * *

“Figure anything out?” Haibara asked.

“Yeah.” Conan answered. “The person who caused this incident, and that the name of that kid is Ganno Mamoru.”

“How do you know that?” Haibara frowned.

“Three years ago, a group of thieves broke into a family house, killing the husband and wife and making off with a million yen in cash.” Conan stated. “He's the couple's only child.” he pulled out the article from his cellphone. “A quick search on the web turned him up. He happened to be on a field trip and escaped unscathed. Since the incident, the thieves have been missing. But the numbers of the cash happened to be written down.”

“It's finally over.” Shibakaru heaved in relief after his questioning.

“Detective Takagi...” Conan whispered. “I think you should search the room harder. There's definitely 500,000 yen in there somewhere. Also, could I borrow 200,000 yen?”

* * *

“According to eyewitness testimony, after watching the three of you come to and leave this room, the witness came here to find the dead scriptwriter Komai Yasue-san hanging.” Inspector Megure summarized. “Because there is nothing to stand on near her feet, she must be murdered and made to look like she'd killed herself; by one of you three. Could you tell us the approximate times you came to the apartment?”

“I'm not so sure.” Shibakaru noted. “She asked me to come after two, but I don't know the exact time.”

“She told me to come around two as well.” Habanaka added. “When I called her cell from a payphone, that's what she told me.”

“I didn't make an appointment with her.” Sakaba added.

“So, even though you all came after two, none of you ran into each other?” Inspector Megure was skeptical.

“It's a coincidence.” Habanaka assured.

“Perhaps they agreed beforehand,” Fumio suggested. “Not to reveal when she asked them to come.”

“After all, they seem to know each other.” Conan added. “When the old man lit his lighter, it made a huge unwavering flame despite the wind. It's because the big man was standing next to him to block the wind from him, right?”

“But the smoke was making him cough.” Ayumi pointed out.

“He probably doesn't like cigarettes.” Genta remarked.

“Why would he do that?” Mitsuhiko wondered.

“It just means the old man is just that important to him.” Fumio explained.

“I see.” Haibara realized. “That's why he approached him to block the wind. Since he was outside, as long as he didn't get too close, the smoke wouldn't bother him.”

“And then, when the long-haired man borrowed the lighter, he turned down the flame.” Conan added.

“So, how do you know the old man keeps the flame strong on his lighter before lighting it?” Fumio posted the question. “Not only that, while he was smoking, the big man approached him to glare at him; like he was telling him not to smoke. After that, the long-haired man got scared and put out the barely-smoked cigarette. So, these three must know each other.”

“So what if we do?” Sakaba snapped.

“Didn't Fumio tell you earlier?” Conan reminded. “By agreeing with your stories, you're trying to hide when you came here. If all of you say the lady was already dead when you arrived, then that would mean the first person who killed her and was lying. That's why the old man stole her phone, right? You didn't want the police to know in which order you came. She probably emailed you asking you to come. By emailing instead of calling, she could give you precise time right down to the minute. That's why none of you ran into each other, even though you were summoned at the same time.”

“But how do you know he took her phone?” Inspector Megure asked.

“It took a while for the old man to notice his phone was ringing, right?” Conan reminded. “And he hung up without answering it. That's because it's the lady's phone. The picture he showed us was probably on her phone, too.”

“How do you know about the call?” Inspector Megure's suspicions were perked.

“I heard it through the wall.” Conan answered. “I've got good ears.”

“Shibakaru-san, may we examine your phone?” Inspector Megure turned back to the three suspects.

“It doesn't matter if the phone tells us in what order they arrived.” Conan stated. “Detective Takagi, did you get it?” he heard Takagi's footsteps.

“Yeah.” Takagi held out the bag. “A notebook, tape and 200,000 yen in thousand yen notes. What are you going to do with this stuff?”

“I want to perform an experiment.” Conan replied. “Can I use the room? Give me a hand, you guys.” he winked.

* * *

“Okay, it's done.” Conan declared, the kids having rolled up the thousand yen notes into cylinders and used the tape to secure the edges. “We're all set.” he declared. “I bet the long-haired man has seen these tubes before. You almost said the money was rolling around under the dead woman's feet. You put the notebook on top of the bills.” he rested the notebook on dollar bill tubes to make a standing platform. “And if you carefully get on...” he got on the platform. “You can stand on top of it.”

“Why, though?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“Conan weighs about 18 kilograms.” Fumio went into physics professor mode. “Each tube can support around 1 kilogram, so...”

“That's it.” Takagi also came to the same conclusion. “Komai-san stood on this. Komai-san weighs roughly 47 kilograms. By putting a hundred sheets of manuscript paper in an envelope and placing over 500 thousand yen's worth of rolled up bills, she created a stand that would support her weight.”

“I see.” Inspector Megure noted. “After kicking the stand aside and hanging herself, Sakaba-san pocketed the rolled-up bills and Habanaka-san took the envelope of manuscript paper, which got rid of the stand that made it look like a murder. By having Shibakaru-san take the phone, we wouldn't know she invited the three of them within minutes of each other. If anyone saw you coming or going, we would suspect you murdered her.”

“But there is no proof.” Takagi reminded.

“The proof is stuck on the sole of the long-haired man's sandal.” Conan interjected. “It's the tape the lady used to roll up the bills.”

“Seriously?” Sakaba lifted a foot to reveal the tape still stuck on his sandal.

“It took a long time to get to the bank's ATM because you were removing 500,000 yen's worth of tape, right?.” Conan added.

“The lady's fingerprints should also be on the tape.” Fumio commented. “Traces of the tape should also be on the 500,000 that was deposited at the ATM.”

“Go to the bank at the ATM and confirm this immediately.” Inspector Megure instructed.

“Does this mean we're free to go?” Shibakaru headed for the door.

“We still need to ask why she did this.” Inspector Megure reminded.

“I should return this phone.” Shibakaru took out Komai's phone.

“This leaves a bad taste in my mouth, though.” Haibara noted. “She gave her life trying to frame that shady trio, and you two exposed the trick so easily.”

“To be honest, her real aim was...” Fumio grinned.

* * *

“Director Habanaka.” one of the reporters thrust a microphone in front of the three suspects, once Shibakaru opened the door to reveal a wave of reporters and flashing cameras. “Are the contents of the confession true? It was written in Komai Yasue-san's script that you gave your AD. Along with Habanaka Kuramichi, Shibakaru Denji and Sakaba Ronpei, she was a member of a gang of thieves that performed a series of robberies. She also wrote the photo, proving it is on her phone and the money you stole is inside a Tohto Bank ATM.”

“This must be some kind of mistake.” Habanaka stammered.

“Why don't we have a long chat at the station about whether or not it was a mistake?” Inspector Megure cut in.

* * *

Later that night...

“Rum?” Amuro echoed, after Fumio informed him of the hushed conversation he and the other Detective Boys overheard Conan and Haibara whispering about. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” Fumio nodded. “Tou-san, do you know what they mean?”

“Nothing that concerns you.” Amuro flicked his son on the forehead with his finger. _Is the Organization's Number Two already on the move?_ He frowned. _Then, what's Conan-kun's exact connection with the Organization, that has him so involved?_


	33. The Moving Target

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“It was an attempted suicide.” Conan deathpanned, not happy that the Detective Boys had insisted on returning to the incident site where Fukurokoji Sadao had fallen just the previous night. “That's got nothing to do with the Detective Boys.”

“Either way, we want to check out the crime scene.” Mitsuhiko replied.

“It happened in our territory.” Genta added.

“It's up ahead.” Conan led the group to the building. “What?” he blinked spotting the barricade tape, condoning off the area.

“So, if it's an attempted suicide, what's Investigation Section One doing here?” Fumio pointed out.

“That's him.” the police officer spotted Conan outside the tape.

“So the kid with glasses was Conan-kun after all.” Inspector Megure sighed.

“I'm glad you're here.” Takagi hurried towards the children. “We wanted to ask you about last night.”

“So it wasn't just an attempted suicide.” Conan concluded.

“No.” Takagi referred to his handbook. “The entrance had been closed over the holidays. The only way to the roof was to take the emergency stairs. But...”

“Fukurokoji-san was so drunk he couldn't stand.” the officer cut in.

“Then, he couldn't have climbed the stairs.” Conan realized.

“It would've been impossible.” Takagi agreed. “Someone must've carried the plastered Fukurokoji-san to the roof and thrown him off. It wasn't an attempted suicide, it was an attempted murder.”

“We think the culprit blended into the crowd and left.” Inspector Megure added. “Did you see anyone suspicious?”

“I see.” Takagi sighed, seeing Conan shake his head.

“Can we see the roof?” Conan requested. “I might remember something.”

* * *

On the building's roof...

“This is the spot.” Mitsuhiko remarked, the group were now standing at the spot where Fukurokoji had been tossed off. “It's directly above where he fell.”

“This scene looks _eerily_ familiar...” Fumio muttered, his mind suddenly going back to one particular case back in America where his _Uncle Akai_ had helped the Los Angeles police apprehend the culprit who had actually used a human being as a murder weapon.

“Fumio?” Mitsuhiko blinked at the strange statement.

“It's nothing.” Fumio assured. “I'm just recalling a case back in America that has serious déjà vu vibes with this one.”

“There are scratch marks, too.” Conan noted.

“What are scratch marks?” Genta wondered.

“Those.” Haibara pointed out. “See where the dirt has been wiped off the railing?”

“Fukurokoji-san's clothes must have rubbed against it when he fell.” Ayumi remarked.

“But why did the culprit bother to carry him to the roof?” Conan wondered.

“They were trying to make it look like a suicide, right?” Haibara reminded.

“There are easier ways to...” Conan pointed out, walking along the roof perimeter. “There are scratch marks here, too.” he pointed.

“Which means the culprit initially tried to drop him from here, but he resisted and ended up dropping him over there.” Takagi surmised.

“But could he have even been able to resist when he's drunk to unconsciousness?” Fumio inquired.

“Inspector.” Chiba ran in. “Fukurokoji-san was drunk and didn't remember anything that happened last night. Also, he said that since he was a loser in our competitive society, there shouldn't be anyone who resents him.”

“But the fact of the matter was that he was nearly killed.” Inspector Megure reminded.

“We'll try to figure out where Fukurokoji-san went to last night.” Takagi declared.

“The culprit made contact with him somewhere.” Inspector Megure reminded.

“You two look unconvinced.” Haibara saw Conan's and Fumio's deep-thinking expressions.

“That man...” Conan spotted Komatsu Hitoshi walking below them, with Yukigaya Daisuke by his side.

* * *

“You told your friend about your bad luck, too?” Conan approached the two men.

“You're the one from last night.” Komatsu recognized Conan. “This is Yukigaya Daisuke, I'm proud to call him my friend.”

“I've got to get going.” Yukigaya noted. “Later.”

“He agreed to stop by since we were in the area.” Komatsu explained. “He's great at his job, athletic, and from a rich and distinguished family. He's confident in everything. We started working at the same time, but we're nothing alike. After all, he never experienced any kind of setback.”

“So, perfect people do exist.” Mitsuhiko noted.

“Compared to him, I have terrible luck.” Komatsu sighed.

“You just happened to come here last night, too.” Conan guessed.

“I didn't happen to come here.” Komatsu corrected. “I was waiting for someone. I got a love letter from a woman I don't know. Maybe it was because of all the fuss, but she never showed up.”

“A stranger invited you out?” Conan's warning bells were ringing.

“She told me to wait in front of this building at eight.” Komatsu recalled. “That's why I waited t the entrance at first. But then, my watch stopped. When I came here so I could see the clock, he fell off the roof. I've got pretty bad luck.”

* * *

“What's the matter, Conan-kun?” Mitsuhiko asked, the rest of the children running after their leader.

“Detective Takagi said Fukurokoji-san resisted, so the spot the culprit initially tried to push him was different from where he was actually pushed.” Conan stated, returning to the building entrance.

“There's another interpretation.” Haibara realized.

“This is really starting to look like _that_ case.” Fumio mumbled. “In other words, the culprit's _real_ target moved.” he informed the others. “The culprit was trying to use Fukurokoji-san as a weapon to kill Komatsu-san by making it look like he was mixed up in a suicide.”

“That explains why the culprit lured Komatsu-san here with the love letter and had to carry Fukurokoji-san to the roof.” Conan remarked.

“In other words, the culprit is someone who hated both Fukurokoji-san and Komatsu-san.” Mitsuhiko concluded.

“Someone has a grudge against you, right?” Genta ran over to Komatsu.

“What?” Komatsu blinked in surprise. “No one has a grudge against me.”

“Could you show us the love letter then?” Mitsuhiko requested.

* * *

“But anyway...” Haibara read the love letter. “'I've always been drawn to the way you don't let your bad luck get you down. Please go out with me. Thirteen days from now, I'll be waiting in front of Beika Building One at eight o'clock. Sincerely, the one who secretly watches you with love.' There's no name. Who would take this seriously and go out and meet them?”

“You're wrong.” Komatsu corrected. “It's one-sided, but there's a girl I like. I went so I could tell her I couldn't go out with her.”

“Anyway, this is the part I don't get.” Conan looked at the letter. “'P.S: Please bring this letter with you to our meeting.' Why?”

“It's evidence.” Ayumi pointed out.

“Taking it back would have been impossible.” Haibara mused. “If their plan succeeded, there would have been a huge fuss.”

“Why did the culprit ask him to do this?” Conan was puzzled.

“I'm hungry.” Komatsu's stomach growled. “Let's go eat.”

* * *

“That's the restaurant.” Komatsu led the group to the cafe his crush was working at. “Sakiko-chan is nice.” he peered through the window. “She's so bright and vivacious.”

“Is she the one...” Ayumi noted.

“You have one-sided feelings for?” Haibara finished.

* * *

“I have lunch here every day.” Komatsu stated, after lunch. “It's close to my office.”

“Your office is around here, too?” Conan blinked. “But Yukigaya-san said...”

“What about Yukigaya?” Komatsu was confused. “Now that you mention it, he hasn't been coming lately. He used to eat here all the time, too. I'm going to the bathroom.” he excused himself.

“You must have some idea, Sakiko-san.” Conan remarked.

“You saw through me?” Nagai Sakiko giggled. “About two weeks ago, he asked me out on a date. Yukigaya-san did, that is. But since I turned him down, he stopped coming the very next day.”

“Over being rejected by a date?” Genta gaped.

“He must have felt embarrassed.” Mitsuhiko noted.

“But Yukigaya-san is a cool guy.” Ayumi remarked. “Why did you say no?”

“Because I can't stand confident people like him who think they have everything.” Sakiko replied. “Koma-chan is nice, though. He believes in God. He says if bad things keep happening, something just as good is bound to happen eventually. He says it's because God isn't unfair. People who truly believe that are so wonderful. I'll bring your desserts and drinks right away.” she suddenly recalled.

“Looks like it's definitely not one-sided like Komatsu-san assumes.” Fumio noted amusedly.

“And everyone around them knows it, too.” Haibara added.

“He's the only one who hasn't noticed.” Genta grinned.

“I know who did it.” Conan declared. “It was Yukigaya. They said he stopped by Komatsu-san's place since he was in the arena, right? It would make sense if he hadn't been here in a while.”

“But he comes around here every day since his office is here.” Haibara caught on.

“It does seem unnatural, but...” Mitsuhiko blinked.

“But if you consider he visited Komatsu-san to see if he realized he committed the crime...” Haibara prompted.

“And if he did it, then I think I know why he had Komatsu-san bring the letter.” Conan added.

“But the culprit tried to kill Komatsu-san and Fukurokoji-san.” Mitsuhiko reminded.

“That's why I'm still 50% sure it's him.” Conan replied. “If he comes up in the police's investigations as well, then it'll be 100%.”

* * *

“So a suspicious man came up in your inquiry?” Conan tracked down Takagi and Chiba.

“Last night, Fukurokoji-san was drinking along at a bar.” Takagi confirmed. “As usual, he was saying he wanted to die. At some point, a man approached him. They left the bar. Apparently, the man's clothes were worn out and his hair was disheveled.”

“He was tall, right?” Conan asked.

“Like an athlete.” Takagi agreed.

“It must be him.” Haibara concluded.

“But in the end, we don't think he's connected to the incident.” Chiba noted. “We checked with Fukurokoji-san.”

“That was their first meeting?” Conan was surprised.

“That's right.” Chiba confirmed. “I'd understand if there was trouble between them, but... bye, Conan-kun.” the two officers went their way.

* * *

“Apparently, you want to talk to me.” Yukigaya stated, Komatsu having led him back to the roof where Fukurokoji was fallen off. “I wonder what it's about.”

“I brought him as you asked.” Komatsu told the gathered chibi-detectives. “Sakiko-san.” he spotted his crush.

“Yukigaya-san, you've never experienced disappointment, right?” Conan led off. “That's amazing.”

“I don't know about that.” Yukigaya snorted.

“But if that's who you are, it must have been really shocking when Sakiko-san turned you down for a date.” Conan taunted.

“So what?” Yukigaya prompted.

“That's why you came up with that plan.” Conan stated. “Komatsu-san, it was Yukigaya-san. He's the one who wrote the love letter and dropped Fukurokoji-san from here. He pretended to be a woman and sent the letter. Last night, he led the plastered Fukurokoji-san out of the bar, carried him to the roof, and tried to drop him on top of Komatsu-san. Ultimately though, he failed to kill him as planned.”

“There's no way he'd do that.” Komatsu protested. “After all, why would he try to kill me? For what end?”

“How would I benefit from killing Komatsu?” Yukigaya asked.

“It would be a devastating blow to Sakiko-san.” Fumio answered.

“To me?” Sakiko echoed.

“If he had succeeded, Fukurokoji-san and Komatsu-san would have been beyond saving.” Fumio explained. “And if Sakiko-san had seen the letter, you would have been shocked as it would have meant that Komatsu-san had met with his unfortunate death because he was lured out by another woman. And then, you've laughed scornfully at Sakiko-san for getting what she deserves. Isn't that what your aim was, Yukigaya-san? That's why you had Komatsu-san bring the letter, since it was the critical tool to making Sakiko-san sad.”

“Why would Sakiko-chan be said if I died holding a love letter from a woman?” Komatsu wondered.

“Notice already.” Haibara deathpanned.

“What?” Komatsu gasped, seeing Sakiko's blush.

“Is is because I turned you down for a date?” Sakiko realized. “Just over that?”

“He couldn't forgive you.” Conan stated.

“Not a confident man who'd never experienced disappointment.” Haibara agreed.

“Hold on.” Komatsu voiced. “Why did he try to kill Fukurokoji-san?”

“You haven't explained that.” Yukigaya agreed.

“It won't have mattered who it was.” Fumio shrugged. “If you dropped a brick, the police would have known it was premeditated murder. But dropping a human, on the other hand... not even the police would have imagined someone using a living human as a murder weapon, right? Fukurokoji-san was dropped only to take Komatsu-san's life; as a human weapon.”

“That's why you searched for someone you could use and found Fukurokoji-san.” Conan took over. “Since he always said he wanted to die, no one would find it odd if you dropped him off a roof. They'd just think he finally killed himself.”

“There's no point in keeping trash like him alive.” Yukigaya mocked. “In fact, just him existing in this world is unsightly.

“Yukigaya-san, we have some questions for you.” Inspector Megure, Takagi and Chiba entered the scene.

“It's over.” Fumio declared.

“Didn't you tell us to come at four, Conan-kun?” Takagi was surprised.

“Didn't I say 3:30?” Conan asked. “He acknowledged t hat he attempted to murder the two men.”

“But without evidence, I...” Yukigaya pointed out. “Rather, you can't corner the culprit. And because this culprit is a very exceptional person, there is no inconvenient evidence anywhere.”

“That's not exactly true.” Fumio corrected.

“We collected this initially, but we had no one to compare it to.” Takagi showed the hair strand sample in the evidence bag. “It was stuck to Fukurokoji-san's jacket button.”

“We'd like one of your hairs for reference.” Inspector Megure requested.

“I can't believe I left a trace on that trash's jacket.” Yukigaya hissed. “Even if it's my hair, I have plenty of excuses. But I'd never do anything so unsightly. After all, it wouldn't be like me to end the story without beauty.”

“Who is this man?” Inspector Megure was unimpressed by the narcissistic man.

“His egoism knows no bounds.” Fumio shook his head.


	34. Detective Boys' Locked Room Mystery Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“The professor is surprisingly dependable.” Genta noted, bouncing a soccer ball on his head.

“I agree.” Mitsuhiko concurred. “I had no idea he had such a rich friend. I was surprised.”

“Apparently, the professor saved their company with one of his inventions.” Conan explained. “That's why they did him this favor.”

“Didn't you say the place is the site of a demolished mansion?” Fumio inquired. “Won't it be hard to practice if the ground's uneven? Not to mention,” he looked at the water puddles on the ground. “There was a thunderstorm last night, too.”

“Don't worry.” Conan assured. “We'll be fine even after it rained. Aside from the pool the ground has been leveled. The drainage is good, too.”

“Spoke too soon, Conan.” Fumio remarked, seeing Inspector Megure's team gathered at the demolished site.  
  


* * *

“Professor.” Ayumi voiced, the group hurrying up to Professor Agasa.

“Professor, what happened?” Haibara asked.

“A man was found dead in the pool of this empty lot.” Professor Agasa whispered. “Earlier, I came to unlock this place so you kids could get inside. There was a man floating in the pool.”

“Does that make you the first discoverer, Professor?” Genta inquired.

“I suppose it does.” Professor Agasa admitted. “We shouldn't get in their way. Let's talk over there.” he pulled the children off to the side.

* * *

“Was it an accident or a murder?” Haibara went straight to the point in the equipment shed.

“Was there water in the pool?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“Yes, but it's shallow.” Professor Agasa replied. “It's from last night rain.”

“How big is the pool?” Genta inquired.

“It's for a family, so it think it's about ten meters.” Professor Agasa guessed. “It's two courses wide.”

“And this gate is the only way to get to the pool?” Conan asked.

“Yeah.” Professor Agasa nodded. “But when I got here, the gate was locked up tight.”

“Who has the keys?” Haibara inquired.

“According to my friend who lent us this place, this is the only key.” Professor Agasa showed the key.

“Then how did the dead person get in?” Ayumi wondered.

“Inspector Megure is very troubled with that very question.” Professor Agasa stated.

“If it was a murder, then we don't know how the culprit escaped.” Mitsuhiko pointed out. “That means, this empty lot is a locked room without a roof.”

“But if this is a crime scene, we can't use it to practice soccer.” Conan reminded.

“But he died in the pool, right?” Genta was confused. “We're not going to use the pool.”

“Do you think the police will see it that way?” Conan questioned.

“Conan-kun is right.” Inspector Megure agreed. “Bot he culprit and the victim had to pass through this lot to get to the crime scene. Until the case is solved, it's closed to the public. Though, it's a different story if you Detective Boys solved the case.”

“Then, let's solve the case.” Ayumi declared after Inspector Megure walked off. “If we can figure out how the victim got here, the Inspector will consider it.”

“Here's a plan of the place I got from my friend.” Professor Agasa handed Fumio a blueprint of the area. “Will it help?”

* * *

“This gate was locked, right?” Mitsuhiko pointed to the map.

“It looks like there is a road on the other side of the fence behind the pool.” Ayumi noted.

“There's an eight story building right there.” Genta added.

“No, there's a narrow road running between them.” Mitsuhiko corrected. “It's not wide enough for a car, though.”

“What if you climbed the fence from that road and entered the lot?” Ayumi suggested.

“That's impossible.” Haibara expressed. “There's embedded glass and barbed wire on top of the fence.”

“Hold on.” Mitsuhiko looked out of the shed window. “I see a crane over there. What if you used the crane instead? You could hold onto the end and go over the wall.”

“That's not possible.” Professor Agasa shot his theory down. “The crane arrived this morning.”

“The pool must have a drain, right?” Ayumi reminded. “You could sneak in through there.”

“It wasn't huge enough for a human.” Professor Agasa stated.

“And it's covered, too.” Conan added.

“On top of that, it was covered in garbage.” Professor Agasa remarked. “That's why the rainwater built up inside.”

“Then, he must have come from the sky.” Genta put in his theory. “If you flew here on a helicopter and climbed down...”

“Fly a helicopter at night?” Conan deathpanned. “They're really loud.”

“And super expensive.” Fumio added.

“Hang gliders don't make any noise.” Genta proposed.

“You wouldn't be able to land in such a small space.” Haibara shot the idea down.

“What about RC helicopters?” Mitsuhiko suggested. “About ten should do.”

“Is it possible to fly that many RC copters?” Haibara asked.

“Wouldn't a hot-air balloon work?” Ayumi suggested.

“Hot air balloons float using air heated by the burners.” Conan pointed out.

“Not to mention, not only was it pouring last night, there was also lightning.” Fumio reminded. “All in all, not very conductive weather for hot air balloons.”

“Then, use an airship.” Ayumi guessed.

“Aren't you forgetting something important?” Conan sighed.

“Why did he go through so much trouble to sneak into the pool?” Haibara finally questioned the victim's motives.

“Wait, maybe we're doing this the wrong way.” Fumio mused. “What if, instead of entering the empty lot, the victim was trying to sneak into somewhere else?”

“That's it.” Mitsuhiko realized what Fumio meant. “There was never a murderer.”

“He wasn't hit.” Genta came to the same conclusion. “He fell from the neighboring building and hit his head on the bottom of the pool. Let's tell Inspector Megure to investigate the neighboring building.”

“Unfortunately, Detective Boys, we reached the same conclusion as well.” Inspector Megure cut in.

“You already investigated the building?” Ayumi asked.

“We did.” Inspector Megure confirmed. “There's no mistaking we did, but...”

“Through the seventh floor, all the windows were fixed shut.” Chiba supplied.

“There's a bay window on the eight floor.” Genta pointed out.

“He fell from the window.” Mitsuhiko added.

“But that widow doesn't open, either.” Inspector Megure informed.

“We found that out during our canvassing.” Chiba added, recalling their conversation with Awaji Tomoe.

“Then, where did the person fall from?” Ayumi wondered.

“What about the roof?” Haibara inquired.

“That's not it, either.” Inspector Megure stated. “There's a high fence surrounding the roof, and it's made so no one can enter.”

“Hold on.” Conan voiced. “Were the disquieting rumors the old woman heard...?”

“Oh, that?” Professor Agasa realized what Conan was hinting. “It was on the news. There's a robber breaking into buildings.”

“They call him the Gecko, right?” Genta cut in.

“If the man who fell was the Gecko, then he fell not from a window, but from the building wall.” Conan declared.

“We determined the identity of the man.” Inspector Megure confirmed. “He was the Gecko. According to our investigation, the Gecko made money working as a street artist. The Gecko's trick was crossing from one building to another on a tightrope. But while crossing between two buildings on either side of a river, he made a terrible mistake.” he explained the accident that caused Gecko to slip from the rope and fall head-first into one of the protruding rocks in the gushing river. “After that, he was possessed by fear and was unable to perform the same trick again.”

“Unable to earn money, the Gecko returned home and used his ability to break into buildings.” Chiba took over.

“But even if he could climb the walls, he couldn't break into the buildings, right?” Haibara noted.

“That's it.” Inspector Megure realized. “He must not have known the window had been remodeled. He must have intended to enter through the bay window.”

“But if it was a veteran thief, wouldn't he have done his research?” Conan wondered.

“I'm sure he did, but the window was remodeled yesterday.” Chiba explained.

“It doesn't make sense to us, either.” Inspector Megure admitted. “If we could explain that one thing, the case would be solved.”

“Were there any witnesses?” Conan asked Professor Agasa once Inspector Megure and Chiba were out of earshot.

“Unfortunately, the power was out in this area at that time.” Professor Agasa replied.

“The substation malfunctioned because of the lightning.” Mitsuhiko guessed.

“That must be why.” Ayumi declared. “The Gecko was struck by lightning and fell.”

“That doesn't make sense.” Genta objected. “The lightning would have struck the top of the building.”

“That.” Mitsuhiko pointed to the lightning rod on the top of the water pipe. “There's a lightning rod right there. There should be a ground wire running from the lightning rod to the ground. And the Gecko...” he visualized the Gecko holding onto the pip and getting electrocuted.

“But all three lightning strikes struck the substation.” Professor Agasa supplied.

“How about this?” Genta suggested. “The Gecko reached the eighth floor. Then, he looked through the window. The old woman was there. And when she turned around...” he envisioned Awaji making a scary face and causing Gecko to fall.

“I've known her for a while.” Professor Agasa stated. “But she's a kind, quiet woman. Her legs were weak, so she uses a cane and wheelchair to get around. But she like to tidy, so she's always doing the laundry when she's got time.”

“And the power is out.” Haibara reminded. “He wouldn't be able to see inside.”

“Professor, you've been to the old woman's room, right?” Conan inquired.

“I'm the one who introduced Inspector Megure to her.” Professor Agasa confirmed.

_Everything by the bat window was wet?_ Conan gasped, hearing Professor Agasa's recount of Awaji's testimony. “But if the power was out, he wouldn't have been able to see inside.”

“But if lightning struck, he'll be able to see.” Fumio reminded.

“That's it.” Conan realized what had happened. “I got it.” pulling Professor Agasa by the hand, he led the group out of the shed, with Inspector Megure and Chiba following suit.

* * *

  
“Excuse the intrusion, Awaji-san.” Professor Agasa apologized, gasping for air. “Sorry about the sudden visit. As you know, this morning, the body of a thief, known as the Gecko, was found in the pool of the demolished mansion next door.” using his voice-changing bow-tie, Conan took over the case's resolution using Professor Agasa's voice..” At first, we thought it was a murder, but we determined he died when something caused him to fall while climbing this building to sneak in and hit his head on the floor of the pool. So why did the Gecko fall? True to his name, the Gecko committed several of his thefts by climbing the wall and breaking in through windows. It's hard to imagine the Gecko falling over a mere slip. Last night's lightning must have been quiet shocking. You may not have been struck, but the noise must have been loud.”

“Yes, I was just starting to do my laundry.” Awaji admitted.

“Then, the power went out, and you started to return to the living room.” Conan continued his explanation. “That's when the lightning struck. When you looked out of the window, you saw a man struck to your window. You reflexively sprayed the man with your hose. The window doesn't open, so there's no way the things outside would get wet.”

“I'm sorry.” Awaji fell to her knees. “I didn't mean to do it.”

“I know.” Inspector Megure assured. “You're not responsible for anything that happened. But until we know what happened, we can't close the case. That's all. You don't need to worry.”


	35. Pitfall of Fire Precautions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes, one night...

  
“Fire safety!” the Detective Boys were on fire safety patrol duty.

“This feels so nostalgic.” Ayumi remarked.

“It's like a historical drama.” Genta noted.

“No, this is what you call Showa.” Mitsuhiko corrected.

“It's been bothering me for a while.” Fumio voiced. “There's been a string of them, right? Arson cases?”

“There was one four days ago.” Conan recalled. “And another two days ago.”

“And once every two days means...” Haibara trailed.

“Yeah, tonight...” Conan confirmed.

“What's going on?” Genta gawked, the group stopping when they spotted a dark shadow fleeing in front of them.

“Is that...” one of the two adults on patrol gasped, seeing the blaze in the corner.

“Seriously?” Conan echoed, unable to believe he was spot on.

“Hello?” the adults called the fire department. “There's a fire.”

“Was that man we saw earlier...” Conan gasped, the group hurrying over to the playground where the jungle gym was burning.

“He could be the arsonist.” Haibara agreed.

“I know that guy.” Genta voiced.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Ami's apartment...

“Does this mean I'm forgiven?” Amuro asked, grinning as he traced an idle finger down his lover's inner thigh.

“What makes you think you weren't?” Ami grinned back.

“About what happened to Akai and myself...” Amuro let out a breath.

“Tell me.” Ami implored, nestling her back into her lover's body. “And you took what Akai-shishou said at face value?” she deathpanned incredulously. “Really?”

“How would I know what he said wasn't the truth?” Amuro argued.

“And how would _he_ know it was you running up the fire escape and not one of the other agents?” Ami fired back.

“Point.” Amuro conceded.

“The two of you really need to sit down and talk this whole thing out.” Ami sighed. “You, especially,” she jabbed Amuro's nose with her finger. “Need to hear Akai-shishou's side of the story.”

“Fine.” Amuro huffed, not very happy that he was backed into a corner. “When are you meeting him?”

“Next Saturday afternoon at the shooting range.” Ami replied.

* * *

The next day...

“Found it.” Conan pulled out the newspaper article from his cellphone, the group having stalked out Kamaishi Suguru.

“That's last year's case.” Haibara breathed. “It's been bothering me, too. It's been happening at the same places, including yesterday's location.”

“Yeah, they're children's parks in a three by three kilometer area.” Conan agreed. “The fires started over the course of two weeks.”

“Although the fourth case produced a casualty, and the suspect was never arrested, the arson incidents stopped.” Fumio noted

“And one year later, in the same places, using the same methods, it's started again.” Conan added.

“A copycat crime?” Fumio suggested.

“Yeah, but it could also be that last year's arsonist is back.” Conan reasoned.

* * *

“This is where the fourth fire started.” Conan led the group to the playground after a day of stalking. “Last year, the first victim was found here.” he turned to the construction crates lying at the side.

“A drunk office worker sleeping while wrapped up in a construction tarp died.” Haibara added.

Just then, Mitsuhiko, Genta and Ayumi started screaming as a lighted sheet started burning on the top of the slide. The trio then started running back to the others when the flaming sheet was caught by the wind and flew towards them. It was then Kamaishi tackled the three kids to the ground, causing the sheet to fly over to the water fountain and dousing the flames.

“It's out.” Kamaishi sighed in relief.

“The arsonist!” Mitsuhiko, Genta and Ayumi chorused.

“I just saved you.” Kamaishi chided. “Don't call me that. Wait.” he looked around. “He got away again.”

“Is that what happened yesterday?” Conan asked.

“Yeah.” Kamaishi replied. “I was so close.”

“Did you think this could be related to last year's fires, too?” Conan inquired. “Is that why you've been on the lookout?”

“Yeah...” Kamaishi looked away.

“So why would you do that?” Haibara pressed.

“Well...” Kamaishi trailed. “It's only natural. If it's the same person as last year, I need to catch him myself.”

* * *

“I see.” Takagi was put on the case. “That's all of today.” he took down Kamaishi's statement.

* * *

“This is the scene of the first fire.” Ayumi declared, the group, plus Kamaishi returned to the first arson scene.

“Last year, that swing was set on fire.” Mitsuhiko pulled out the news article on his cellphone. “And this year, it was the see-saw.”

“So, what are we doing here?” Kamaishi asked.

“We're reviewing the case.” Mitsuhiko answered. “For example, how did the fire start?”

“And we'll find witnesses to question.” Ayumi added.

“But if there were witnesses, wouldn't the police have already arrested the arsonist?” Fumio wondered.

“Last year, these money bars were set on fire.” Mitsuhiko noted, the group were now at the second arson scene.

“And that arched bridge was the second fire.” Ayumi remarked. “This is the third and the day before yesterday's crime scene.” she expressed, the group were now at the third playground.

“The jungle gym was caught on fire.” Mitsuhiko stated. “Last year, it was this horse.” he looked at the spring horse rider.

* * *

“His obsession did seem unnatural.” Conan mused, Kamaishi having given the children the slip at the Unadon eatery.

“Either way, he's definitely connected somehow.” Haibara concluded.

“That's right.” Fumio pulled out his phone. “Last year...”

“This is...” Conan gasped, reading the article over Fumio's shoulder. “Guys, let's go.”

* * *

“This is yesterday's crime scene.” Mitsuhiko noted, the group had returned to the earlier playground.

“You guys stay here.” Conan instructed and ran into the apartment building with Haibara in tow. “I knew it.” he muttered, looking out of the building from the fourth floor.

“So that's how it is.” Haibara came to the same conclusion. “So where did the key figure go?”

“That's the question.” Conan mused. “That's it.” he spotted the familiar sign. “Yesterday, we couldn't see since it was nighttime.” he informed the others. “But it isn't a coincidence. It's a countdown. The letters circled in red were left at every crime scene. Suppose you read that character as 'To'. At the second crime scene, “He'. At the third crime scene, 'Ho'. And this is the fourth crime scene, “Ni'.”

“Is this counting down to 'irohanihoheto' backwards?” Haibara gasped.

“Yeah.” Conan confirmed. “In other words, the crimes will continue. He's planning a fifth one. At the fifth crime scene, there's probably...”

“But why does he always choose children's parks?” Haibara cut him off. “And set fire to playground equipment like seesaws and slides?”

“Actually, I noticed a common point about the affected equipment.” Fumio voiced. “Look.” he led the group to the playground equipment where all of them had a similar manufacturing logo plate attached to them.

“Iroha Toys...” Conan read the name plate.

“It's likely the equipment burned at the other parks were made by the same company, too.” Haibara agreed to Fumio's assessment. “Look.” she pulled out the manufacturer's webpage. “Their factory is nearby.”

* * *

“It's closed because it's Sunday.” Ayumi noted, the group arriving at the front gate of the Iroha Toy's factory.

“Isn't that...?” Conan spotted the bento shop delivery van Yatabe Harue was working at.

“Look.” Haibara breathed, seeing someone holding a lit torch from the window.

“Fumio.” Conan turned to the group's authority alert person.

“On it.” Fumio started calling 110 and 119 which he had both numbers on speed dial.

“Conan!” Ayumi exclaimed, the bespectacled boy jumping over the fence and entered the factory.

* * *

“The police will be here soon.” Conan declared, using his soccer ball to kick the touch out of the window before Yatabe could light the kerosene. “You should give yourself up, arsonist and bento shop lady.

“No way!” Genta was shocked, the others having entered the factory and turned on the lights. “Then, what about the guy?”

“They're both left-handed, but she's the one who could drive that van, not him.” Haibara explained.

“I knew it.” the bound Kamaishi struggled off his gag. “Why, madam?” he was puzzled, he himself had began suspecting Yatabe when he smelt the kerosene on his sleeve after purchasing the bento box the day before.

* * *

“A year and a half ago, a child playing at the park was badly injured because of a defect in the equipment made here.” Yatabe confessed outside the factory. “The factory dumped all the blame on me, the factory manager, fired me and denied all knowledge of the matter. It was no joke.”

“Why did you leave the Iroha countdown?” Conan asked. “Why bother?”

“To get my revenge.” Yatabe answered. “To make them regret what they did. I they'd offered a single apology, I would have stopped. But it looks like you were the only ones who noticed. I'm an idiot.”

“Don't be ridiculous!” Kamaishi snapped. “Because of you, a man is dead. Arrest me, too.” he held out his hands after Takagi and his arresting officers arrived to take Yatabe into custody.

“You actually witnessed last year's forth fire, right?” Conan guessed.

“He's right.” Kamaishi confirmed.

“This.” Haibara scrolled down the news article to the 'Nearby House Robbed' headline.

“I did that.” Kamaishi confessed.

“And that place was the scene of his crime.” Conan nodded. “Right next to the crime scene where the man died.”

“Since then, I stopped robbing houses, but I was afraid of being arrested.” Kamaishi admitted. “I didn't report it until now. I told myself I didn't see the arsonist's face clearly and lied to myself. But I always regretted it, thinking if I'd turned myself in then, the arsonist would have been arrested sooner, and the man would have been avenged. Then, the fires started again. That's why I decided to capture the arsonist myself and then turn myself in.”


	36. Conan and Ebizō's Kabuki Jūhachiban Mystery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“Brake fluid?” Conan was stunned to discover a leaking brake hose from the car that had just drove past the field the Detective Boys were practicing soccer at.

“There's a railroad crossing up ahead.” Haibara informed.

“Call someone.” Conan instructed, catching the skateboard Haibara had tossed to him. Riding his skateboard, he went after the skidding car. Turning a corner, he anchored his Anywhere Ball Dispensing Belt onto the railing and inflated a soccer ball, sending the runaway car straight into an nearby warehouse.

* * *

The next day...

“Where are you right now?” Fumio played the disgruntled partner-in-crime to the fullest, making a call to Conan using Ran's cellphone. “I guess you have something more fun to do than play soccer with us like you promised.”

“Ran-nee-chan told us all about it.” Ayumi took over.

“She told us you went to the Ichikawa sushi restaurant by yourself.” Genta complained.

“Genta-kun, that was a funny story about Kogoro-san.” Mitsuhiko corrected.

“And you got sushi from Kanizo!” Genta snapped.

“Give that back.” Ran reached over and reclaimed her cellphone.

“He got involved in another case without us, did he?” Fumio deathpanned, looking at Ran.

* * *

That night...

“Are you sure this is okay?” Genta wondered, the group were sitting down in the Detective Agency with a plate full of tuna sandwiches between them. “We're being treated to dinner just for bringing a can opener.”

“It's supposed to be their dinner, too.” Ayumi noted.

“Is he still not answering his phone?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“This is really good.” Genta gushed, taking a bite of the sandwich.

“Tuna salad and tuna spaghetti.” Ayumi held up the salad bowl.

“It's all tuna.” Mitsuhiko noted. “Fumio, your mother really likes tuna, doesn't she?”

“Not exactly.” Fumio corrected. “She _hates_ yellowtail tuna for some reason.”

“Is his phone ringing?” Haibara asked, in front of the laptop and seeing Ran hung up her phone.

“I feel like something's wrong.” Ran sighed.

“Yeah.” Haibara agreed. “If Edogawa-kun has his GPS on...” she switched on the laptop and started searching. “Okay, his GPS is on. There he is.” she centered in on the phone's location.

“Where is he?” everyone pressed.

“In Ginza.” Haibara answered. “It's an alleyway in 3-Chrome. That's odd. He's not moving.”

“Maybe he dropped it.” Ran suggested.

“Then, he would at least call us.” Haibara argued.

“Then, maybe he dropped it while being kidnapped.” Fumio surmised.

“Let's go.” Ayumi urged.

* * *

“Is this really the place?” Genta asked, the group having followed Haibara's directions and arrived at the spot where Conan had dropped his phone.

“Definitely.” Haibara confirmed.

“There are just a bunch of bars on the other side.” Mitsuhiko noted.

“Try calling him.” Haibara suggested.

“I don't hear anything.” Ayumi looked around as Ran made the call.

“He could have set it to vibrate.” Haibara guessed.

“There.” Fumio's ears picked up tone from Conan's phone just as Sonoko ran in.

“There it is.” Ran entered the small alley and picked up the ringing phone that was lodged between the gate cracks. “Let's look for him.”

“Ask Inspector Megure for help.” Haibara cut in.

“It's obvious he got caught up in something.” Fumio agreed, picking Conan's glasses.

“Get out your badges.” Haibara instructed the others. “Split up and keep calling Edogawa-kun.”

* * *

“Let's assume someone kidnapped him.” Ichikawa Ebizō met up with Ran and the others after excusing himself from the kabuki rehearsal hall. “It's definitely connected to the two-faced mask somehow. Could you show me the phone you found? The last call it received was from Ran-san at 4:05.” he checked the call history.

“He said he was at the kabuki theater.” Mitsuhiko supplied.

“This is right after that.” Ichikawa scrolled down the 'Received' history. “He called someone just eight minutes later. Since there's no name, he must have entered the number.”

“We tried calling the number, but it was off.” a star-stuck Haibara added.

“It's Kaneko.” Ichikawa compared the number to his contact list.

“Kaneko-san?” Ran echoed. “You mean the cameraman?”

“I called a staff meeting earlier, but he wasn't there.” Ichikawa stated. Let's try going to Kaneko's house. “he suggested.

“Edogawa-kun?” Haibara suddenly gasped when her badge started beeping.

* * *

“Guys!” trapped in a half-demolished building, Conan managed to drill a hole into the concrete wall blocking the way out. Switching on his Detective badge, he reached out an arm through the hole to contact the others. “Look for a building that's being demolished. It's nearby.” wincing when the falling debris hit his wrist, he was forced to drop the badge. “I'm in the basement of the building being torn down.”

* * *

“A building under construction in this area...” Ichikawa mused, after the connection was cut off. “That's it.” he turned. “Someone let Mouri-san and the others know about this.” he informed, the group hurrying off. “I'll stop them.” he sped up, arriving at the construction site after sending Sonoko to inform Mouri. “Stop the construction!” he yelled, jumping onto a bulldozer. “There's someone in the basement.”

* * *

“You are sure?” Inspector Megure questioned, having met up with Conan's group at the construction site.

“Yeah.” Conan nodded. “There's a camera in the room on the bottom floor. Normal people don't use cameras with lenses like that.”

“Which means it was Kaneko.” Inspector Megure concluded.

“We found something.” Takagi ran in after Chiba informed the Inspector that the kids had taken a ride back with Sonoko. “We found Kaneko Eiji's body, and...”

* * *

The next day...

With the entire cast members ready, Conan was prepared to present his version of the 'Nanatsu Men'.

“The deduction I just described of Takahashi-san stealing the mask does not apply to this situation.” using the voice-changing bow-tie, Conan took over. “Iwami-san, the ATM's camera caught you withdrawing cash from the hospital ATM and giving it to Kaneko-san. Kaneko-san knew you didn't steal the mask.”

“But he threatened him anyway?” Ichikawa echoed.

“He knew he'd pay up if he did.” Conan stated. “Yabusaki-san and Minowa-san, don't worry. Neither of you were threatened by Kaneko-san.”

“The culprit had have been someone who was being threatened by Kaneko-san.” Ichikawa concluded.

“This is the shot of Iwami-san entering the kabuki theater.” as if on cue, the overhead projected flashed the photo on screen. “When Iwami-san was shown this photo, he did as he was told and paid. But Kaneko-san's camera captured what happened next. This.” he showed the next photo. “Look closely. Iwami-san isn't holding a case or anything else. Kaneko-san only showed you what benefited him. Kaneko-san's camera showed me everything I needed to know.”

“Then, that leaves...” Ichikawa turned to Hosoo Takuya.

“Hold on a minute.” Hosoo chided. “Didn't you hear what Mouri-san just said? Those who weren't captured by Kaneko-san's camera aren't the culprit.”

“Hosoo-san, how do you know he didn't take a photo of you?” Conan asked. “Did I say that?”

“There's no way I'd be on his camera.” Hosoo was confident.

“There's no way because you paid him a large sum for the chip.” Conan explained.

“Stop joking.” Hosoo scolded. “Have you forgotten that someone tried to kill me by manipulating my car?”

“Mouri Kogoro's Nanatsu Men.” at that, Conan smirked. “Mask One.”

“This morning, I investigated that slope again.” Takagi presented his findings. “I found that the drops of brake fluid started at the top of the hill, but there was no fluid before that point.”

“Why did you take that route?” Conan questioned. “The most direct path from your house to the theater is a straight and mostly flat road. Why did you go out of your way to go up that slope?”

“Also, nearby, I found tape with brake fluid on it.” Takagi added.

“Opening a hole in a brake hose isn't easy, so you wrapped tape around the hose you manipulated in your garage beforehand.” Conan stated.

“Hold on.” Hosoo's chuckle cut in. “You saw the footage of the security cameras at my house. I didn't go to the garage.”

“I see.” Conan noted. “Mask Two.”

“There's a convenience store in front of your house.” Shiratori took over. “I compared your footage to their security camera footage. This is the footage from the same time.” on Haibara's cue, the AV assistant played the two video footage side-by-side. “On the left is the footage of the outside we received from Hosoo-san. On the right is the convenience store footage. You can see how it's the same road at the same time, but the car only appeared on one side.”

“Can you think of anyone else who would have access to the hardware in your house?” Conan asked. “Mask Three.”

“The two-faced mask was secured at Haneda Airport.” the torch was passed to Chiba. “We also questioned the buyer Richard-san. Apparently, he purchased the mask from Hosoo-san for a large sum of money.”

“Hosoo-san, do you remember what you said?” Conan reminded. “What do you mean by that?”

“I can do whatever I want with my own possessions.” Hosoo protested. “That's no reason to call me a murderer.”

“Mask Four.” Conan declared, cuing Inspector Megure.

“Shioji-san told me everything.” Inspector Megure stated.

“He made me make that fake mask.” Shioji confessed. “But the president instructed me to take special care of the real mask until the day of the performance. I was dating Takahashi-san.” she wept. “But you...”

“Hosoo-san, I know your company hasn't been doing well.” Conan expressed. “You sold the mask for money and took out a life insurance policy on Takahashi-san. Sometimes, it's not paid out in the case of suicide, so in order to ensure it would be so soon after taking out the policy...”

“Murder was a better choice.” Ichikawa realized.

“What proof do you have?” Hosoo demanded. “What proof do you have that I did it?”

“Isn't this your button, Hosoo-san?” Fumio revealed the button in his hand.

“I'm always telling them that if they're ever kidnapped or attacked, to leave some kind of mark on their attacker.” Conan stated. “You can even bite down on whatever they throw over you.” he came out from Mouri's back. “Your teeth marks or saliva can serve as evidence later.” ducking back behind the seat, Conan voiced into his bow-tie.

“What's wrong, Mouri-san?” Hosoo started to laugh. “You of all people should know better. Shioji, tell him when I changed my jacket. I was wearing a new jacket when we went to the hotel. Kid, when did you get that button? Are you willing to use a child to pin Kaneko's murder on me, too?”

“When did I say jacket?” Fumio wondered outloud.

“Hosoo-san, Conan only said something that the culprit covered him with something.” Conan, using Mouri's voice, reminded. “This button of yours was found in the engine room of the car when Takahashi-san was killed.” at Haibara's cue, the AV assistant flashed a series of photos on the screen in rapid succession.

“These are the traffic drums next to the railroad crossing.” Takagi added, the next photo of the drum barrels showing up. “You intended to crash into these.”

“This is the inside of your garage.” Shiratori took over, the next photo showing the box of disposable gloves. “You can see the disposable gloves you used to keep the braking fluid off your hands.”

“This is the building your previous office was in.” Chiba stated, the next photo showing the skyscraper. “It's the building that's currently being demolished.”

“The basement contained the staff office.” Takagi ended the presentation. “No wonder you knew so much about it.”

“Kaneko-san saved all the pictures he sold to you on his computer.” Conan explained to the shell-shocked Hosoo. “He was going to use them to blackmail you again.”

“My company was going to go under.” Hosoo sank to his knees.


	37. The Shadow Approaching Amuro

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes, one morning...

“Thanks for waiting.” Azusa served the customer his ham sandwich order. “Here are your ham sandwiches.

“Hey.” Mouri voiced, seeing Conan's intense look at the man. “You've been watching that customer this whole time.” he noted, biting into his toast.

“Really?” Ran wondered. “I'm surprised you noticed while reading about the races in the paper and eating breakfast.” she turned to her father after Conan nodded in affirmative.

“I am a great detective.” Mouri bragged.

“He's not dressed as a salary man.” Conan noticed.

“But he's at a cafe before work hours start.” Mouri stated. “Is that what's bothering you? Some people are like that. We're like that.”

“But he ordered sandwiches instead of the breakfast set most customers order at this hour without even looking at the menu.” Conan pointed out.

“Does that mean he's a regular?” Ran wondered.

“But he's not speaking to Azusa-san or Amuro-san and he's been watching the counter this whole time.” Conan stated.

“It's simple.” Mouri snorted. “He's interested in Azusa-chan.”

_Actually, he's been watching not Azusa-san, but Amuro-san this whole time._ Conan corrected.  _Why?_

* * *

After school that afternoon...

“What?” Mitsuhiko echoed. “We're playing games at the professor's house again?”

“That's all we've been doing lately.” Ayumi remarked.

“What do you want to do, then?” Genta asked.

“You were assigned homework today.” Haibara reminded. “You should do that.”

“Him again?” Fumio suddenly stopped in his tracks, spotting the man once again in Cafe Poirot.

“Again, Fumio?” Conan asked. “He was at Poirot this morning, too.”

“He probably lives or works nearby.” Haibara suggested.

“Why are you so interested in that man?” Ayumi inquired.

“Because he's interested in everything.” Haibara stated.

“He's coming out.” Genta noted, the customer had exited Cafe Poirot.

“If you're so curious, let's follow him.” Mitsuhiko grinned.

“Great idea.” Genta beamed. “Sounds more interesting than playing games at the professor's.”

“It sounds like something the Detective Boys would do.” Ayumi agreed.

“Hey, guys.” Conan chided.

“I'll pass.” Haibara stated. “Don't follow him for too long. You should go home and do your homework.”

“They aren't listening.” Fumio supplied helpfully, the other three had went after the suspicious man.

“This is your fault.” Haibara glared at Conan.

“I'll go keep an eye on them.” Fumio volunteered.

“Conan-kun?” Azusa noticed Conan standing outside the cafe. “You're alone? The man who just left?” she asked, watering the bushes outside. “I don't know his name, but he has been coming a lot lately.”

“What does he do?” Conan asked.

“I don't know.” Azusa admitted.

* * *

“He's gone.” Ayumi gasped, the quartet having followed the man to a shopping district. “He disappeared.”

“He must have gone into a store.” Mitsuhiko determined.

“Let's split up and check all the stores.” Genta declared.

Fumio just heaved a sigh and followed suit.

* * *

“He was watching me?” Amuro echoed, preparing coffee in the coffee strainer.

“It looked that way to me.” Conan nodded.

“I'm sure it did.” Amuro agreed. “Fumio-kun and I saw the same thing. And he even followed us the other day.”

“He followed you?” Conan repeated. “When?”

“Three days ago, I think.” Amuro recalled. “When I went shopping at the supermarket with Fumio-kun.”

“And?” Conan pressed.

“And what?” Amuro blinked.

“You're just ignoring him?” Conan gasped.

“It's not as though he's done anything to us.” Amuro replied, stirring in the coffee powder.

“A member of the Organization...” Conan suggested. “Do you think he could be?”

“Probably not.” Amuro concluded.

“But you don't know all the members of the Black Organization, right?” Conan asked.

“Well, no.” Amuro admitted. “But I don't get that feeling from him.

“Is it possible he's a public security officer like you?” Conan wondered.

“I see you love investigating as much as ever.” Amuro teased, pouring out the freshly brewed coffee.

* * *

The next day after school...

“I'm serious.” Genta insisted. “He disappeared in the shopping area.”

“He must be hiding something.” Mitsuhiko insisted.

“Tou-san?” Fumio blinked, spotting his father at the intersection in front of them. “Haibara-san?” he turned to the girl who had suddenly stopped.

“I just remembered I had something to do.” Haibara declared. “I'm leaving.”

“It's that guy.” Ayumi pointed, seeing the mysterious man stalking Amuro. “What's going on?” she wondered, the group peering from the corner.

“Indeed.” Mitsuhiko agreed. “Why is he following Amuro-san?”

“What are you doing?” Genta protested, the group had followed after the man when Conan stopped them.

“There's a dead end up ahead.” Conan remarked.

“Does that mean...” Fumio realized. “Tou-san _knew_?”

* * *

“Do you have business with me?” Amuro emerged from the corner, having cornered his stalker.

“Not really.” the man replied. “I have business this way.”

“This is a dead end.” Amuro stated. “You've been coming to Poirot a lot lately. Why are you following me?”

Left with no choice, the man turned tail and fled.

On cue, the Detective Boys were also hot on the man's tail.

“Hello?” Amuro took the call when his phone rang.

“Amuro-san, it's an emergency!” Azusa voiced from the other end. “Go buy some ice cream. We accepted an order for an ice cream soda even though the manager forgot to order some. Go buy some as soon as you can.”

“I'm counting on you, chibi-detectives.” Amuro smiled, the Detective Boys had taken over the chase.

* * *

“And... we're back again.” Fumio stated, the group having turned the corner and finding themselves in the shopping district again.

“Let's search all the stores again.” Mitsuhiko declared.

“Could it be?” Conan scanned the shops.

“You figured out something.” Fumio concluded, seeing the group's de facto leader's expression.

“It's no use.” Genta returned with Ayumi and Mitsuhiko in tow. “He's wasn't in any of the stores.”

“He's not in here, either.” Ayumi looked at the bakery.

“He'll appear soon.” Conan declared. “He's late.” he glanced at his wristwatch. “Could it be? Amuro-san knew he was following him, right?” he looked at Fumio.

“Yes.” Fumio nodded. “And?”

“That's it.” Conan realized and hurried back to Cafe Poirot.

* * *

“Amuro-san!” Conan burst into Cafe Poirot. “Mister, you're a baker, aren't you?”

“A baker?” Ayumi, Mitsuhiko and Genta chorused.

“How did you figure that out?” Fumio was amazed.

“Yesterday, he had sandwiches here in the morning and evening.” Conan deduced. “He always kept his fingernails clean. And he has a distinctive mark on his head.” he pointed to the telltale elastic band mark around the baker's head.

“A hat with an elastic band...” Fumio mused. “Like the ones worn by cooks working with starchy foods, like beard or noodles, in the kitchen, instead of interacting with customers. So _that's_ why you're in front of the bakery earlier.”

“A baker who doesn't interact with customers make beard early in the morning and makes more as necessary in the afternoon.” Conan confirmed. “In other words, his job allow him a lot of free time in the mornings and evenings. Naturally, if you wait outside the bakery long enough, he'll change in the back and show himself again. At least, that's what I thought, but he didn't appear no matter how long we waited for. When Amuro-san noticed him, I thought he might make a desperate final play. You wanted to ask him directly, don't you: about how Amuro-san makes his sandwiches.”

“Really?” Amuro gaped.

“I heard that lately, the sandwiches here have been delicious and cheap.” the baker confessed. “When I came to try them, I was shocked by how delicious they were. The ham sandwiches were especially fantastic. I wanted to make sandwiches this delicious myself. But no matter how much I watched you, I couldn't figure it out. So I followed you and examined the beard, ham, lettuce and mayonnaise you bought. But you weren't buying anything special. Even when I tried to make them with the same ingredients, I couldn't achieve the same flavor.”

“Mister, that's Amuro-san's trade secret.” Conan stated. “There's no way he'll tell you.”

“I don't mind telling you.” Amuro cut in.

* * *

“Cheap ham is fine.” Amuro demonstrated. “But choose the leanest pieces possible. Then coat them with olive oil. That's not all. I sue ordinary mayonnaise as well.”

“Miso?” Mitsuhiko gawked at the miso container Amuro brought out.

“Just use a pinch of miso.” Amuro mixed in the paste. “This is ordinary hot water, and this is ordinary lettuce.” he ducked the lettuce leaves into the hot water.

“But it'll make the lettuce soft.” Ayumi pointed out.

“Not if you use water at bath water temperature.” Fumio corrected. “Right, tou-san?”

“Fumio-kun is correct.” Amuro confirmed, snapping one of the lettuce into two. “Furthermore, the lettuce will keep it's crispness for longer even if kept between beard. Now for the beard; slightly stale beard is better.”

“A steamer, right, tou-san?” Fumio grinned.

“Exactly.” Amuro grinned at his son, lifting the steamer cover to reveal a stack of steamed beard. “Your mother did the same thing while working in America, didn't she?” he guessed.

“Yes.” Fumio nodded.

“This softness doesn't last long.” Amuro explained, putting the sandwich together. “It's good for eating in the store, but not great for takeout.”

“I”m a baker.” the baker reminded. “I can do something about the beard, so please let me sell your sandwiches at my store.”

“Mister, you're asking too much.” Conan gaped.

“Sure thing.” Amuro consented, shocking Conan.

“Kaa-san had the same thing happen to her in America, too.” Fumio piped in. “If I remember correctly, the appetizer in question is a fish salad: a salmon-herring-sardine mix. Jodie-baa-san calls it the _ultimate_ brain food.”

* * *

“Excuse me.” Amuro took the call after serving up the ham sandwiches.

“Hey, Bourbon.” Vermouth voiced from the other end. “I heard you're conducting a secret investigation recently.”

“An investigation?” Amuro echoed. “Into who?”

“I wouldn't be calling you if I knew?” Vermouth complained.

“Of course.” Amuro conceded.

“Don't take it too far.” Vermouth warned. “Apparently, he has his eye on you.”

“He has his eye on me?” Amuro echoed. “Who?”

“Gin.” Vermouth answered.


	38. The Actress Blogger's Locked Room Case, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“Those look delicious.” the Detective Boys drooled over the numerous cakes on display at the cake buffet in Beika West Hotel.

“There are all kinds of cakes.” Ayumi gushed.

“Can we seriously eat as many as we want?” Genta salivated.

“Yeah.” Professor Agasa replied. “After all, it's a cake buffet.”

“Professor, you have some incredible luck with lotteries.” Mitsuhiko noted.

“We were actually going foe the assorted high-end sirloin cuts.” Haibara cut in.

“Genta, you took too much.” Ayumi looked at Genta's plate.

“I'll get some cakes, too.” Professor Agasa moved forward.

“You're limited to two.” Haibara thrust a plate with two cake slices in front of the Professor.

“Still as stern as always, Haibara-san.” Fumio joked.

* * *

“Thanks for the food.” finding a table, the group settled down to eat.

“Genta-kun, you should slow down when you eat.” Ayumi chided, seeing Genta gobble down the cake slices.

“But if I don't hurry, they'll run out of cakes.” Genta protested.

“You're planning on eating more?” Conan sighed.

“What is this?” Genta picked out the remote control helicopter that had landed in his cream cake. “A helicopter?”

“Isn't that one of the Petite Falcons that are quite popular nowadays?” Fumio recognized the toy.

“But where did it come from?” Ayumi wondered.

“I'm sorry.” Kitami Saya approached. “Did I hurt you?”

“No.” Genta turned.

“I just brought that at the toy shop in front of the hotel.” Kitami explained. “When I turned it on, it started flying away.” she reclaimed her toy.

“Wait, are you the actress Kitami Saya-san?” Mitsuhiko recognized.

“You were in 'Gomera'.” Ayumi added.

“You're the girl who got her blood sucked by the enemy monster.” even Genta recognized Kitami's role.

“Keep your voices down.” Kitami hushed the kids. “No one knows I'm staying at this hotel. We can take a picture together after I get you a new cake.”

“You're as crooked as ever.” Shono Kyona remarked. “You're planning on increasing your blog's popularity by taking a picture with those kids and uploading it, aren't you? Perhaps you'll title it 'With the kids I met at the cake buffet'.”

“That wasn't my intention.” Kitami stammered.

“Naturally, I'll win.” Shono declared, referring to the bet they had set on the TV show regarding their individual blogs.

“You don't know that.” Kitami defended.

“You haven't seen my blog?” Shono challenged. “I discovered one of your secrets. If you don't want me posting it, you should hurry up and forfeit. And you already have short hair. Shaving your head should be no big deal. I'm going back to the room.” she turned to leave.

“Weren't you going to take pictures of yourself eating cake?” Yonehara Sakurako asked.

“I can't imagine taking the same pictures as her.” Shono retorted. “Go buy what I told you to get.”

“Is that you, Sakurako-san?” Conan recognized the assistant.

“Conan-kun?” Sakurako gasped.

“What are you doing here?” Conan asked. “Aren't you a housekeeper?”

“Her manager caught a cold.” Sakurako explained. “My agency was asked to look after her until she gets better.”

“But why are those two staying in the same hotel?” Mitsuhiko wondered.

“They don't seem to like each other.” Genta noted.

“Because they're co-starring in a romantic drama set in this hotel that's starting this spring.” Sakurako replied.

“I know that one.” Haibara remarked. “It's called 'Top Class', right? It got pretty good reviews, so they're making a sequel.”

“What's it about?” Mitsuhiko's interest was piqued.

“Two women reveal their true selves to try to bring each other down.” Haibara grinned evilly.

“I'd better go.” Sakurako voiced. “I need to go shopping.”

“Excuse me.” Kitami stopped Sakurako. “After you deliver that to her, could you come see me in Room 504? There's something I want to discuss about her.”

“Okay.” Sakurako nodded. “See you later, then.”

* * *

“You have the same idea I did, Fumio.” Conan peered over the other boy's shoulder, as Fumio scrolled down Shono's blog.

“Come to think of it, she mentioned something that suggests Kitami Saya's secrets were on her blog.” Haibara pointed out.

“That's why we've been looking.” Conan replied.

“But it's just her playing with her dog, introducing her favorite manga, and cooking.” Fumio supplied.

“There aren't any secrets anywhere.” Conan sighed.

* * *

“It's an emergency!” Sakurako told the hotel front desk. “In any case, open the door.”

“Did something happen. Sakurako-san?” Conan ran forward, the group having exited the cake buffet.

“Kyona-san won't answer the door no matter how many times I ring the bell.” Sakurako replied.

“That's really bad.” Kitami stated. “I don't have ant scenes today, but Kyona-san starts shooting in thirty minutes. She needs time for makeup, too. She needs to be on set.”

“You heard her.” Sakurako insisted. “Unlock the door immediately using the master key.”

* * *

“Kyona-san, what's wrong?” Sakurako entered the room after the bellhop opened the door.

“They're going to start filing.” Kitami reminded, placing her cap on the coat hanger.

“Kyona-san, you're in here, aren't you?” Sakurako went further into the room. Turning the corner, she let out a scream when she saw Shono lying on the floor with her head bashed in.

“Bellhop, call an ambulance and the police.” Conan instructed.

“Conan-kun, that's her key card, right?” Sakurako asked, Conan taking in the crime scene. “But that doesn't make sense. This hotel's rooms don't lock automatically. How did the murderer lock this room?”

_A locked room?_ Conan mused. _A white stain?_ Wiping the spot off with a handkerchief, he took a whiff. _Whipped cream? Which means..._ he turned to Kitami. _Could the culprit be..._

“Who would do something so cruel?” Kitami wept.

* * *

“Yes.” Sakurako answered. “I was asked to come wake her up at five in the evening, but she wasn't answering the door no matter how many times I rang the bell. I went to the reception to unlock the door, and had the bellhop unlock the door using the master key. That's when I found Kyona-san collapsed in this bedroom and bleeding from the head.”

“I see.” Inspector Megure and Takagi was surveying the corpse. “But Sakurako-san, aren't you a housekeeper?”

“I was asked to take care of her until her manager get over her cold.” Sakurako replied. “I can't believe this happened at another one of my jobs. Do you think I might be cursed?”

“Um, well...” Inspector Megure started. “When did she die?”

“Forensics believes between 4:00 to 4.30 pm, she was stuck repeatedly on the head with a thin rod-shaped weapon.” Takagi reported. “But is it true that the key card was here in a hotel without automatically locking rooms?”

“Yes.” Sakurako confirmed.

“Then that makes this a locked room murder.” Inspector Megure concluded.

“But it doesn't make sense.” Sakurako argued. “Kyona-san said she wouldn't open the door for anyone else, so I have to come wake her up at five. Why did she open the door?”

“For nobody else?” Takagi echoed. “That sounds like a strange way to make that request.”

“It's a stalker.” Kitami cut in. “She was almost attacked by a stalker pretending to be one of the staff. Since then, she stopped inviting even acquaintances into her room, except for the person she designated beforehand. I heard at the front desk that Kyona-san wasn't answering the door. I was worried, so I came with Sakurako-san. But I have no idea that this had happened to her.”

“In any case, we're going to investigate the room more closely.” Takagi declared. “Saya-san, Sakurako-san and Conan-kun, since you discovered the body, could you wait in Saya-san's room?”

* * *

“They're here.” in Kitami's room, Conan ran to answer the door. “My friends can come in, right?” he opened the door.

“I bought you a Petite Falcon.” Professor Agasa held out the toy.

“That thing is really hard to fly.” Genta noted.

“It doesn't fly as well as we thought.” Ayumi added.

“I believe it takes quite a deal of skill.” Mitsuhiko remarked.

“Let me see.” Conan grinned, switching the helicopter on. “This is easier than I thought.” he maneuvered the toy into the air. “It's stuck in the AC.” he gaped, the flying helicopter was trapped between the air-conditioning shaft. Is there some kind of stick?” he looked around.

Stepping on the table, Kitami reached up and removed the toy.

“You' get stuck again if you keep flying it inside.” Haibara reminded. “Why don't you take it somewhere more open?”

“We're going outside to play.” Conan announced and exited the room with his group. “Tell the police for us.”

* * *

  
“Have you figured out how she locked the room?” Professor Agasa asked, once he shut the door.

“No, not yet.” Conan admitted. “But I know how she got in and what she used as a weapon.”

“But she seems so nice.” Genta noted.

“Women are different on the inside.” Haibara stated flatly. “The murder victim seemed malicious, rude and vulgar, but if you look at her blog, you'll see she had a surprisingly sensitive and conscientious side, too.”

“Where'd you get that?” Conan wondered.

“Her nail polish bottles were arranged in numerical order.” Haibara answered. “They're even a brand that you have to turn over to see the number.”

“But the photo of her manga collection...” Fumio frowned, re-opening the browser tab to Shono's blog.

_I see._ Conan realized, seeing the mismatched manga set. _So this is the secret she discovered. But would she murder her over this? Wait..._ “Fumio, enlarge the photo.”

“Right.” Fumio nodded and expanded the picture.

_Wait, in English this..._ Conan's attention was caught by the manga series on the other side of the cupboard. _I get it now._ He grinned. _I know why she had to kill Shono Kyona-san._


	39. The Actress Blogger's Locked Room Case, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“I”m hungry again.” Genta looked down at his growling stomach.

“Didn't you just say you were full?” Mitsuhiko glared.

“Genta-kun, you're such a glutton.” Ayumi whined.

“Would you like some cheesecake then?” Haibara asked. “I bought the ingredients so I could try making it tomorrow. Professor, yours is for breakfast tomorrow.” she shot Professor Agasa a glare.

“But won't it take time to finish?” Genta asked.

“Actually, it takes only thirty to forty minutes in a rice cooker.” Fumio supplied. “Cooking rice isn't the only thing a rice cooker can do, you know? It can even steam cakes.”

_That's it._ Inspiration stuck Conan. _So that's how it is. The culprit locked the room without using it for its intended purpose to seal away the mistakes of the past._

* * *

Later that evening...

“This case certainly is full of mysteries.” Takagi noted. “The victim said she wouldn't open the door for anyone but her assistant, Sakurako-san, but the culprit entered the room and murdered the victim. And despite the doors of this room not automatically locking, the key card was in the bedroom, that was far from the door. We have no idea how the culprit escaped after committing the murder. On top of that, we still haven't found the rod-like weapon used to kill the victim.”

“All we know that is the victim is the actress Shono Kyona-san and there will be a great commotion about this later.” Inspector Megure summarized.

“Should we ask the commissioner for instruction?” Takagi inquired.

“Yeah.” Inspector Megure concurred. “Who is it?” he wondered, the two officers hearing the doorbell ring. “Agasa-san?” he viewed through the peephole to see Professor Agasa at the door. “What do you want?” he opened the door. “Conan-kun?” he blinked at the grinning boy at the door. “Where's Agasa-san?”

“Professor Agasa is waiting for you in Room 504.” Conan replied. “Directly under this one in the murderer's room.”

“That's actress Kitami Saya-san's room.” Inspector Megure gasped. “Listen, Conan-kun. I'm sure it's difficult for you to understand, but the room was locked, and...”

“Inspector.” Takagi cut in, receiving further instructions from the higher-ups. “The commissioner just called to say to do as Conan-kun says.”

* * *

“I demand an explanation.” Kitami retorted. “Why am I being suspected of killing Kyona-san? The key card was in the middle of her room, so it's a locked room case, right? On top of that, Kyona-san said she'd only open the door for Sakurako-san. Shouldn't she be your prime suspect?”

“Well, yes.” Inspector Megure conceded. “But Agasa-san...”

Just then, the doorbell rang.

“You'll see how she entered the room if you look through the peephole.” Professor Agasa supplied.

“Who is it this time?” Inspector Megure peered through the peephole. “Agasa-san?” he gaped. “That's impossible. What on earth is going on?” he opened the door.

“The experiment is a great success.” Fumio beamed, Haibara holding out the short video of Professor Agasa on her cellphone.

“We recorded a video of the professor on a phone and played it in front of the peephole.” Haibara explained.

“Then, when I saw the professor earlier, was that...” Inspector Megure trailed.

“That's right.” using the voice-changing bow-tie, Conan borrowed the professor's voice. “I had Conan-kun do the same thing. Just like Saya-san did when she entered Kyona-san's room.”

“But I just met Sakurako-san today.” Kitami protested. “I didn't have time to record a video like that.

“Sakurako-san, when Saya-san asked you to come to her room, wasn't something stuck to her door?” Conan asked.

“An envelope.” Sakurako answered. “There was an envelope with a large black heart drawn on it stuck to Saya-san's door just below the peephole. Saya-san said it was from a fan.”

“There was a phone inside the envelope.” Conan took over. “By opening a heart-shaped hole in the case, lining the phone's camera with the hole, and setting it to record, she was able to take a video of Sakurako-san ringing the doorbell. Both Kyona-san's and Saya-san's rooms are at the end of the hallway. The background of the video will look just like her hallway.”

“But, what about the key card?” Kitami pressed. “It was next to the body in the bedroom. This hotel's rooms don't automatically lock, so how did the culprit lock the room after leaving?”

“By using this toy helicopter you were flying around the cake buffet.” Conan held out the Petite Falcon. “Could I borrow this room's key card? First, you tape a long string to the rotor shaft of the propeller and the end of the helicopter.” he demonstrated. “After wrapping the tape around the end of the string attached to the rotor shaft, stick the tape to the key card. Once you gently tape the helicopter to the bedroom floor, you're ready to go. All you need to do is pass the two strings under the door, slide the key card into the slot of the locked door, and turn on the helicopter. The rest is up to you guys.” he handed the strings to the group outside. “All right. Start it up.” he declared, after Haibara gave him the go-ahead.

“Ignition, on.” Fumio grinned, switching on the control's activation switch.

“When you turn on the helicopter, the string is wound around the rotor shaft, and the key card slides under the door. Once all the string has been wound up, the force detaches the key card from the string and falls to the floor. To finish the trick, you just pull the string attached to the back from outside the room. Pull, you guys.” he shouted. “The helicopter would be pulled off the floor and towards the entrance.” he continued, Genta tugging the string outside. “If you pull really hard once it reaches the door... now you can retrieve the string.” he added, Genta giving the string one hard tug and detached it. “As proof, remember the white cream on the floor next to the key card? That's because there was cream on the skids of the bottom of the helicopter.” he picked up the Petite Falcon. “Saya-san's helicopter crashed in the cake Genta was about to eat.”

“But Conan-kun, the helicopter's still in the room.” Takagi pointed out.

“That's why Saya-san dropped her hat the moment she entered Kyona-san's room.” Conan stated. “She pretended to miss the hat rack. And if stuck double-sided tape on the inside, it should stay even if she put it on the rack. So it's probably still there. Inside her hat is the Petite Falcon she used to commit her crime.”

Pulling on his gloves, Takagi removed Kitami's hat from the rack and discovered the still-intact helicopter. “There's even string wrapped around it.” he reported to Inspector Megure.

“You're wrong.” Kitami stammered. “It wasn't me. I stuck the double-sided tape on there so my hat wouldn't slip. It must've gotten stuck there by coincidence when I dropped it.”

“Then, why did you stand on the table?” Conan questioned. “When my Petite Falcon got caught in the AC vent, you stood on the table to get it for me. There were cups on the table, so normally a person wouldn't stand on it. And right in front of us, there was a selfie stick.” he turned to the pink rod on the counter.

“A selfie stick?” Inspector Megure echoed.

“You can attach the stick to the end of a selfie stick to take pictures of yourself.” Takagi explained. “It's a kind of tool. You can extend it to take pictures of yourself from far away.” he pulled out the extensible handle and was stunned to see the bloodied metal rod

“And it doubles as a weapon.” Conan concluded, using Professor Agasa's voice. “Most of the pictures on Kyona-san's blog are selfies, but Saya-san's has none at all. So that's most likely Kyona-san's selfie stick. Tell us, Kitami Saya-san, what is Kyona-san's selfie stick doing in your room covered in blood?”

“Isn't it obvious?” Kitami snorted. “She discovered my secret, so I used her stick to make sure she'd never open her mouth again. Look, she uploaded my secret to the blog.” she showed the detectives Shono's blog. “While pretending to introduce her favorite manga.”

“Where's the secret?” Inspector Megure inquired.

“It's right next to her face.” Kitami snapped. “'The Hit and Run of Love'. In Japanese, 'hit and run' is a baseball term, but aboard...”

“It means to hit someone with your car.” Conan finished.

“That's right.” Kitami admitted. “Two years ago, I ran over some drunk man with my car. I'd been hiding it, but when I forced my way into her room, she told me.”

“Saya-san, I'm not sure that Kyona-san knew about the hit-and-run.” Conan expressed.

“But the photo.” Kitami protested. “She said there was a code in the manga.”

“The code wasn't 'The Hit and Run of Love', but the series next to it called 'Looking At You'.” Conan replied. “She's usually precise, but that series alone was arranged out of order and there are two copies of volume 11. If you match the volumes of the 50 characters in the Japanese alphabet, read volume 29 as it is, and read it from the left, it forms a sentence, 'Saya is 29 years old.' That's the only code she created. That you've taken five years off your age. But blinded by bias, all you could see were the words 'hit and run'. In baseball terms, a hit and run is a risky play. It seems your risk didn't pay off.”

* * *

“Agasa-san, that was another impressive display of detective work.” Inspector Megure praised after Kitami was taken into custody.

“By the way, Conan-kun.” Takagi stated. “I'm surprised to learn you know the commissioner.”

“But isn't the commissioner of Section One, Matsumoto?” Conan blinked.

“Actually...” Takagi stated.

“I knew you'd help solve the case.” Kuroda Hyoue entered the scene. “The Sleeping Kogoro's Bag of Wisdom.”

“Who are you?” Professor Agasa asked.

“I'm Kuroda Hyoue.” Kuroda introduced himself. “I've taken over as commissioner of Section One of the MPD. And it's nice to see you again, Edogawa Conan-kun. ” he reached out a hand.


	40. Regrettable and Kind Alien

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“It makes you doubt if he had any sense.” Genta mused, the Detective Boys were standing at the bottom of the stairs of an abandoned temple which was the crime scene of a Hanzaki Yasuo who had fallen down the stairs the previous night after apparently being frightened by the appearance of an alien.

“How could he kill someone by pretending to be an alien?” Ayumi wondered.

“What a good-for-nothing adult.” Mitsuhiko remarked.

“You're wrong.” Matsumoto Kota objected. “Don't speak so poorly of Takedera-san. It's my fault, probably.”

“Probably?” Fumio echoed. “Who are you?”

“I'm Matsumoto Kota.” Matsumoto introduced himself. “Takedera-san always plays with us at the children's center on his days off. I think that's why...”

“He was hoping to find witnesses so word would spread.” Conan noted.

“So he wasn't good-for-nothing.” Mitsuhiko remarked.

“Sorry for insulting him.” Genta apologized.

“But, in the end, he did cause an accident.” Fumio reminded.

“Hey, onee-san.” Conan called, seeing Nakashima Arisa and Trummelperman Susan place flowers against the wall of the staircase. “Are you the people who were present when the accident occurred yesterday?”

“Yes.” Trummelperman nodded. “Who are you kids?”

“I'm Takedera-san's friend.” Matsumoto replied.  
  


“Could you tell us what happened last night?” Conan asked.

“Actually, would you like to see?” Nakashima pulled out her phone and opened up the photo she had taken. “There's this video, too.” she played the clip she had recorded.

“Could you show me the photo again?” Conan requested. “Could seeing this alien really have scared him?” he mused.

“It's clearly a poorly-made costume.” Haibara deathpanned.

“We knew what he was because he called himself an alien.” Nakashima explained.

“But the late Hanzaki-san descended the stairs, was surprised when he saw the alien below, and fell when he tried to run.” Conan ran up the staircase and reenacted what Hanzaki did. “But how did Hanzaki-san know it was an alien?”

“Because he called himself an alien, right?” Ayumi guessed, after Nakashima and Trummelperman bid farewell to the kids.

“Is it even possible for him to hear that from all the way up here?” Fumio posed a question.

“It certainly is strange.” Haibara agreed. “I wonder what Hanzaki was doing here, too.”

“Considering the temple is abandoned, he couldn't have been visiting it.” Fumio reasoned.

“There might be something behind last night's incident.” Conan concluded.

“First, we should investigate this Hanzaki guy.” Genta declared.

* * *

“My neighbor Hanzaki?” Tamai Tsuneyuki echoed, when the Detective Boys visited him at his unit.

“Your downstairs neighbors said he was friendly with his next-door neighbor.” Conan nodded.

“Neither of us had anything to do since we're unemployed.” Tamai chuckled.

“What was he like?” Haibara asked.

“An unlucky fellow.” Tamai replied. “Six months ago, he was laid off from the factory he was working at, and last night he was supposed to get paid, but... whoops.” he stopped himself.

“Whoops?” Fumio repeated.

“Hanzaki was blackmailing someone.” Tamai relented. “He went out last night to get some money from them.”

“Now that Hanzaki-san is dead, this person X he was blackmailing must be relieved.” Conan noted. “Do you know who he's blackmailing?”

“No way.” Tamai answered. “You want to investigate for yourselves? He never locked his front door. He said he had nothing worth stealing.”

* * *

“There aren't any clues about who X is.” Mitsuhiko remarked, the kids were searching Hanzaki's room.

“This room sure stinks of cigarettes.” Genta complained.

“He was a heavy smoker.” Tamai supplied.

“What are these characters from?” Ayumi gawked at the stuffed toys on the table. “He has so many.”

“They're karaoke giveaways.” Tamai explained. “He goes there all the time. Maybe he was blackmailing someone at the factory.” he wondered. “I think it was last month.”

“He was trying to get rehired at the factory he was laid off from.” Conan concluded.

“If they had the power to do that...” Haibara trailed.

“It could be his former superior from the factory.” Conan reasoned.

“Is that...” Fumio noticed the calendar on the wall. “Did Hanzaki-san work for Sanko Heavy Industries?”

“It's a top-ranking company.” Mitsuhiko gaped.

“Of course not.” Tamai snorted. “Hanzaki worked for one of Sanko's subcontractors.”

* * *

“We'll just investigate something else.” Conan remarked, seeing how the factory was closed since it was on the weekends. “There is something I want to ask about the alien.”

* * *

“We understand that you did it for Kota-kun, but I was wondering where you got the idea to become an alien.” Conan stated, having brought the newly released Takedera to a nearby park.

“I'm actually not the one who came up with the idea.” Takedera admitted. “I asked for advice from a fellow member of the children's literature club from my college days, my friend Omi Akira. I just took his idea.”

“Omi-san sure has some interesting ideas.” Fumio noted.

“We once put a play for children about aliens.” Takedera beamed. “We made the costume for that play.”

“So that's why it was so non-threatening.” Mitsuhiko realized.

“Omi probably feels bad about last night's accident, too.” Takedera sighed. “He recommended that I appear around eight at night. He recommended that location, too. But everything backfired.”

“Just to confirm, your friend, Omi-san, is the one who recommended that the alien appear at 8 pm at the bottom of the Beimyoji's steps?” Conan inquired.

“Yeah.” Takedera nodded. “Omi knows the place very well. He lived there until he got a job and started living at the Sanko Heavy Industries employee dorm.”

“Would we be able to see Omi-san if we went to the employee dorm?” Conan asked.

“He said he goes to the gym on his days off.” Takedera recalled.

* * *

“Omi-san went out last night at 7.30.” Mitsuhiko voiced, the group having gathered the information they needed from the employee dorm.

“It's just a twenty minute walk to Beimyoji from here.” Ayumi added.

“He'd easily make the alien's 8pm appearance.” Genta noted.

“Apparently, he works in the production management unit.” Haibara stated.

“He's also responsible for coordinating with subcontractors, so he's in the position to influence hiring decisions.” Conan expressed.

“And thus, the connection between him and Hanzaki-san.” Fumio related.

“Omi Akira-san must be X.” Mitsuhiko concluded.

“It wouldn't be strange if he associated with Hanzaki-san, and it's possible Hanzaki-san had something on him and was blackmailing.” Conan mused. “But there's something I don't get. Omi-san asked Hanzaki-san to come to Beimyoji at 8 so he could give him the money.” he stated, the group walking off.

“Then, he convinced him to start walking down the stone steps.” Mitsuhiko added. “He had him spot the alien played by Takedera-san. He made him panic so he would fall. In other words, this was a premeditated murder carried out by Omi Akira-san to silence Hanzaki-san, who was blackmailing him.”

“But, there wasn't any guarantee that he would panic.” Conan pointed out. “And would an alien that non-threatening really scare an adult?”

“But he was really scared.” Ayumi reminded.

“He screamed.” Haibara confirmed.

“That's what I don't get.” Conan stated. “There's no reason he should've been scared. Could Omi-san have set something up?”

“What if that scream wasn't Hanzaki-san's but Omi-san's?” Fumio voiced.

_Could it be?_ Inspiration stuck Conan when he looked up to see the throat clinic's advertisement on the lamp post and recalling Hanzaki had a packet of medicine from the same clinic, the ashtray filled with cigarettes and the karaoke stuff toys.

* * *

“You were right on the money.” Mitsuhiko beamed, the group exiting the clinic to confirm their suspicions.

“Now we can corner the killer.” Conan stated.

“He even left evidence.” Haibara added.

“But we could've found the killer earlier if if his neighbor would've told us.” Genta remarked. “He must've realized what was going on with Hanzaki-san.”

“There was no way.” Haibara protested. “Not even the news reported that he screamed.”

“But when I borrowed his toilet, he told me.” Genta recalled.

“He must have realized the inconsistency then.” Haibara realized.

“Oh no.” Fumio breathed. “Tamai-san couldn't have...”

* * *

“I won't let you kill anyone else.” Conan declared, his flying soccer ball managed to knock Tamai off Omi.

“What do you kids want to talk about?” Takedera had also arrived. “Omi? What are you doing here?”

“Omi-san knew the late Hanzaki-san through his job at the factory.” Conan began. “Blackmailed by Hanzaki-san, Omi-san decided to silence him.”

“As evidence of that, he even tried to kill me.” Tamai snapped.

“I was trying to teach you a lesson since you were throwing around nonsensical accusations.” Omi chuckled. “Last night's death was an accident, right?”

“He was scared by my alien costume.” Takedera stated. “The women who witnessed it told the police the same thing.”

“But, Takedera-san, normally no one would believe that costume is an alien.” Conan remarked.

“Not unless you heard the person wearing it call himself an alien.” Mitsuhiko added.

“But Hanzaki-san couldn't have heard you from up here.” Ayumi pointed out.

“There are only four people in this world who could've recognized that as an alien.” Conan declared. “Takedera-san who played the alien, the women who heard him call himself an alien, and Omi-san who suggested the idea in the first place.”

“But Hanzaki-san thought it was an alien, too.” Omi remarked. “That's why he became frightened and screamed...”

“He couldn't have.” Fumio cut him off.

“That's quite the assumption.” Omi stated. “Only he'd know what he thought it was...”

“Hanzaki-san had acute laryngitis.” Fumio voiced, before Omi could make up anymore excuses. “Both his neighbor and Hanzaki-san thought it was a cold at first. But actually, it was acute inflammation of the vocal cords due to overworking his throat. He couldn't even speak normally, so there's no way he could've screamed.”

“Then, the scream I heard...” Takedera blinked.

“It could only be played by the man who knew you were playing the alien and was here with Hanzaki-san, Omi Akira-san.” Conan replied. “Last night, Omi-san asked Hanzaki-san to come here. After knocking him out, he waited for Takedera-san's alien to appear. Then, he pushed him down the stairs and killed Hanzaki-san, making it look as though he was frightened by the alien and accidentally fell. You couldn't just let him fall to his death. The police might suspect foul play and thoroughly investigated the incident. To make them believe it was an accident, you needed witnesses like Takedera-san and the two women.”

“He's delusional.” Omi chuckled.

“Apparently, he doesn't know about the evidence.” Haibara noted.

“Last night, one of the women who witnessed the incident took a video.” Conan stated. “If the police analyze the voice recorded on the video, they'll know whose voice it was.”

“I had no idea his vocal cords were giving him trouble.” Omi confessed. “That annoying raspy voice of his... I thought it was an act to intimidate me. Hanzaki saw me shoplift something from a convenience store. As an employee of Sanko Heavy Industries, even a crime as petty as shoplifting could land me in serious trouble. I was thinking about how to silence him when you asked me for help and the idea came to me. I realized I could use this naive idiot, who still cares about kids and is satisfied with working at a third-rate company.”

“Did you call shoplifting petty?” Genta frowned.

“Mitsuhiko, hit it.” Fumio gave the freckled boy the go-ahead.

“Omi Akira-san, you're a good-for-nothing adult!” Mitsuhiko declared.

* * *

  
Later that night after dinner...

“Aliens?” Amuro mused amusedly after Fumio excused himself from the dining table. “I can't believe children these days still believe such things.”

“Technically, wouldn't the other Senshi and me be considered as aliens, too?” Ami reminded. “We were reincarnated beings from the planets, after all.”

“Semantics.” Amuro shrugged.


	41. The Detective Boys Get Out of the Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Two days later...

“You really don't recognize him?” Conan asked, the Detective Boys were walking home from school.

“Recognize who?” Haibara asked.

“Commissioner Kuroda.” Conan clarified.

“No.” Haibara replied.

“Considering you don't, you were clinging to me pretty tightly.” Conan pointed out.

“Seeing his horrifying face up close would have an effect on anybody.” Haibara argued.

“That's right.” Mitsuhiko agreed. “His face was horrifying.”

“I was seriously scared.” Genta concurred.

“I almost cried.” Ayumi confessed.

“Really?” Conan blinked.

“But it's kind of weird.” Fumio mused. “When he saw me, he told me to send his regards to tou-san and kaa-san. I wonder if the Commissioner was their superior before?”

“It's probably fine.” Haibara assured, the group was crossing the road. “If Kuroda was really Rum like you suspect and saw my face from that close, he would've realized I was Sherry, the woman who betrayed the Organization. And they'd be forcing their way into the Professor's house by now. But the email the Professor just sent me was all about dinner.” she referred back to her phone.

“That's fine, then.” Conan noted. “But you can never be too careful. What's wrong?” he asked when Haibara suddenly stopped in his tracks with a stunned expression on her face. “Did something happen to the Professor?” he grabbed the phone and blinked when he saw the tabloid article. “Seriously? It's just a gossip article. You scared me.”

“Is this true?” Ayumi gushed.

“This is a major couple.” Mitsuhiko fanboyed over the Higo Ryusuke and Okino Yoko dating rumor. “I bet they'll make beautiful J-Leaguer babies.”

“If they're girls, they'd be idol singers.” Genta piped in.

“Ai-chan, don't you agree?” Ayumi turned to Haibara.

“We won't be getting any reaction out of her.” Fumio waved a hand in front of Haibara's face. “She's totally out of it.”

* * *

In Cafe Poirot...

Amuro looked on amused as he watched his son slam his head repeatedly on the counter. “The gossip tabloid?” he unlocked Fumio's phone. “I didn't know you were interested in this kind of thing, Fumio-kun.”

“It isn't me.” Fumio raised his head. “It's Haibara-san.”

“She's a Higo fan, isn't she?” Amuro asked, wiping the counter.

“Yeah” Fumio nodded. “Wait a minute... if the female is Okino Yoko, then...” he tilted his head to the ceiling. “That man upstairs...”

“Probably...” Amuro agreed, looking at the ceiling.

* * *

Time passes...

“Excuse me.” Mitsuhiko shouted, knocking on the door of a three-story house. “Is anyone home?”

“It's open.” Conan noted, opening the door.

“Excuse the intrusion!” Genta hurried in. “Bathroom...” he looked around.

“There are so many toys.” Ayumi gushed, seeing the numerous toys on display.

“This place is truly a toy museum.” Mitsuhiko agreed.

“There's someone there.” Genta spotted the two robbers hiding behind the spiral staircase. “Please let me use your bathroom.”

“Isn't that Gomera?” Ayumi pointed to the figurine hanging from the ceiling.

“Isn't that the bathroom?” Conan spotted a slightly open door.

“This isn't the bathroom.” the robber boss shut the door.

“Oji-san, you're Amamiya Masaki-san, right?” Conan asked. “It was written on the sign out front. And this is your brother, Sho-san, right? You were calling him 'aniki' before.”

“That's right.” the robber boss feigned. “I'm Amamiya Sho, the older brother.”

“And I'm the younger brother, Amamiya Masaki.” the second robber played along.

“The two of you live in this house together?” Conan wondered.

“Yeah.” the head robber replied. “We're best friends and brothers who love toys.”

“Forget that.” Genta protested. “Where's the bathroom?”

“Here it is.” the head robber opened the bathroom door, letting Genta in.

“As long as we are here, why don't we stay here until the rain lets up?” Ayumi suggested.

“We can't.” Fumio cut in.

“Let's head back.” Conan agreed. “The Professor will worry if we don't get back soon.”

“Sorry to bother you.” the kids apologized and prepared to head out.

“Someone help!” a female voice suddenly called out.

“This isn't good.” Conan hissed. “Guys, hurry!”

Screaming, the others hurried towards the door.

“What's going on?” Ayumi wailed.

“You're not getting away.” the head robber flashed out a knife.

“Run!” Conan barked. “They're robbers.”

“Scatter!” Fumio shouted. “Up the stairs.” he led the group up to the second story.

“The initials on the matching sweatshirts were K and M?” Mitsuhiko echoed, once Conan explained.

“Yeah, and there was a woman's dress, too.” Conan confirmed. “The actual residents are probably a man named Kakeru and a woman named Maki.”

“Then, that scream we heard earlier?” Ayumi gasped.

“Let go!” Genta yelled, the head robber having grabbed him by the leg.

“Damn it.” Conan cursed. “Isn't there something we can use?”

“Get down, Genta!” Fumio shouted, clutching a white ball. In a pitcher's pose, he tossed the ball like a baseball, hitting the robber right on the nose. “Strike!” the blond boy flashed a victory pose.

“Please help!” Maki shouted from the doorless cabinet she was stuffed in.

“She's in here.” Conan found the bound Maki.

“Are you okay?” Ayumi asked.

“Yeah.” Maki replied. “I just lost consciousness.”

“You're Amamiya Maki-san, right?” Conan confirmed.

“Crap, they're here!” Genta warned, Ayumi having untied Maki. “Anyway, this house is amazing.” he noted, the group having hid under a pile of stuff toys to hide from the two robbers.

“I know.” Ayumi agreed. “It's full of toys.”

“My husband is like a child in an adult's body.” Maki remarked “He's a toy collector.”

“Where is your husband now?” Conan asked.

“I don't know.” Maki answered. “He should've been home, but I was taking a shower.”

“Where's your phone?” Conan requested.

“They said they cut the phone line.” Maki shook her head. “They took my cellphone, too.”

“And we left our phones at the campsite.” Mitsuhiko reminded.

“It's strange, though.” Maki voiced. “Normally, a patrol officer stops by around this time.”

“It's raining pretty heavily today.” Conan reasoned. “Maybe the patrol officer is running late, or he's bust handling a landslide somewhere else.”

“I heard voices over there.” the second robber reported.

The group ran out, Conan pausing in his step to dodge the head robber's grip. Ducking under the robber's arm, he looked around for a weapon as the others scattered to escape the robbers.

“I'm sorry.” Maki apologized, Conan having found what seemed to be a weapons room. “For getting you involved, too.”

“It's not your fault, Maki-san.” Conan assured, taking a handgun from its display case which was revealed to be a cigarette lighter.

“Hold it right there!” Maki declared, bursting from the weaponry room with a machine gun in her hands.

“Seriously?” the second robber stammered.

“You idiot, it's just a toy.” the head robber chided.

“It used to be.” Maki corrected. “But my husband enjoys modifying these kinds of toys. Would you like to try it out?”

“She got me!” the second robber wailed, the rain of rubber pellets hitting them continuously.

“Hurry!” Conan urged the group upstairs after getting the brief reprieve and hindering the robbers some more by tossing a bucket full of balls down the steps.

Finally, after some maneuvering, the group managed to take down the two robbers.

“Conan?” Fumio blinked, seeing the bespectacled boy head over another room with a bloodied door frame.

“You guys leave without me.” Conan shouted. Opening the door, he discovered the stabbed Amamiya Kakeru lying on the ground.

“Kakeru-san!” Maki gasped.

* * *

“Are we going to end up like her husband?” Mitsuhiko wondered, the recovered robbers having tied the group up and tossed them into a room.

“That's up to you.” the head robber snorted. “Some guy called 'God' online said there's a bunch of gold in this house. Where's the gold? If you don't tell us, we'll kill you.”

* * *

“It's a monster!” the second robber stammered, the two robbers heading back to finish off the hostages, only to be greeted by a towering monster at the door.

“Don't run, you idiot.” the head robber snapped, holding his partner back. “Just kill it.”

“Shut up.” the second robber shook him off. “You've done nothing but order me around. I'm sick of it.”

“What did you say, bastard?” the head robber growled.

Grinning, Genta pulled the covers apart, Ayumi placing a punch-in-a-box between the head robber's legs, the sprung out boxing punch hitting him on the crotch.

“Guys, let's run.” Conan shed off the disguise.

* * *

“Guys, the police will be here soon.” Maki informed, the kids having tied up the robbers to a pillar.

“Wait a minute, we didn't kill anyone.” the head robber protested.

“We aren't lying.” the second robber confirmed. “We just pretended to kill him to scare you.”

“Where's the other two boys?” Maki blinked, noticing Conan and Fumio missing.

“They were here a second ago.” Genta noted.

* * *

“What are you two doing?” Maki entered the shower, seeing both Conan and Fumio inspecting the hanging dress.

“Just as we thought, you were the one who killed your husband.” Fumio declared. “Maki-san.”

“Rather, the one who planned this crime and the mastermind of the robbery, 'God',” Conan corrected.

“Where is this coming from?” Maki inquired.

“It totally fell into place.” Fumio stated.

“The name 'God' came from those two who hardly seemed like the religious type.” Conan explained. “But if you assume the God they referred to was the online handler of the person who planned this crime, it all makes sense. They were commanded by a mastermind named God. And if you rearrange the letters of the romanized spelling, you get Maki. Your name, Maki-san. People often rearrange the letters of their names and use anagrams when creating an online handle.”

“That's a far-fetched argument.” Maki remarked.

“But then, you're the only one who've killed your husband, Maki-san.” Fumio pointed out. “Your husband's body lost a lot of blood. And judging by his appearance, the murderer must also have gotten quite a lot of blood on themselves, too. Enough that they had to take a shower to wash it off.”

“But neither of the robbers had the victim's blood on them.” Conan continued.

“Then, maybe they took showers...” Maki voiced.

“That's right.” Conan grinned, catching Maki on the lie. “They haven't bathed recently. Naturally, they haven't taken showers in this bathroom, either. They even mistook this shower room for the bathroom. They probably didn't even know where it was. In other words, there's only one person who took a shower here.”

“That doesn't prove anything.” Maki stated.

“The victim's blood should have gotten not just on your body.” Conan added. “But also the clothes you're wearing. I thought it was strange. Only the dress is damp. You must've washed the blood off in a hurry. I'm sure you know, but no matter how much you wash something a blood test will...”

“That's enough.” Maki cut him off. “That's right. I killed my husband. That freak who kept turning the wealth he was supposed to will to me on stupid toys. I was supposed to frame those two who came to rob the house at the time I indicated by telling them were to find the fake gold bars. I was going to have the patrol officer arrest them when he arrived while they were wasting time. Under the circumstances, it would've appeared that my husband was killed by the robbers and I was a miserable victim. The situation has changed because of this damned rain, but it doesn't matter. You two are going to die, too.” she smirked, flashing out a knife. “At the hands of those robbers.”

Conan tossed the drying clothes at Maki and the two boys fled the scene.

* * *

“Run, guys!” Conan shouted a warning as he and Fumio ran up the staircase.

“The two of them are in trouble!” Mitsuhiko then saw Maki chased after the two with a knife.

“Oh no!” Conan gasped, seeing Maki turn her attention to the other three.

Turning to find a handful of darts on the dartboard on the wall, Fumio then tossed the darts at the strings that supported the Gomera figurine, causing it to crash into Maki.

“That was too close.” Conan heaved in relief.


	42. The Unfriendly Girls Band, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“A band!” Sonoko insisted enthusiastically in Cafe Poirot. “We should start a high school girl band.”

“What?” Ran and Sera blinked.

“Where did that come from?” Sera chuckled.

“The high school girl band I saw in a movie last night was super cute.” Sonoko gushed.

“And?” Conan echoed. “Sonoko-nee-chan, what instrument are you going to play?

“The drums, of course.” Sonoko replied. “The drummer in the band look like me. She was so cool.”

“Then, I would play... “Ran mused.

“Ran, since you have long black hair, you'll play the bass.” Sonoko cut in. “The band's bassist had the same kind of hair.”

“But I've never played the bass before.” Ran gawked.

“Ran-nee-chan is better at the piano, right?” Conan reminded.

“Want me to play the bass?” Sera offered. “My brother's friend taught me a long time ago.”

“Then, Sera-chan will play the bass.” Sonoko decided. “Ran, can you play the keyboard?”

“Sure,” Ran replied. “But where are we going to perform?”

“Tada.” Sonoko flashed the 'Beika City Countdown Talent Show' poster. “We'll perform at the end of the year talent show in Beika City and walk off with the title.”

“But won't our band need a guitarist?” Sera reminded.

“Yes, but there doesn't seem to be anyone in our class who can play the guitar.” Sonoko sighed.

“Azusa-san.” Amuro voiced. “Could you wipe down this table?”

“Our guitarist.” Sonoko pointed to Azusa. “The high school band has a girl named Azusa who was good at guitar.” she rushed over to the counter.

“But I've never touched at guitar.” Azusa blinked. “And I'm not a high school girl.”

“No one will be able to tell if you put on a uniform.” Sonoko insisted. “Besides, you have a pretty loli face.”

“But isn't playing the guitar hard?” Azusa stammered.

“You'll be fine.” Sonoko assured. “With a little practice, you'll be able to play in no time.”

“You play it then.” one of the male guitarist in the cafe taunted. “You can borrow my guitar. We'll hook it up to our portable amp. You can play right away. Here.” he held up the electric guitar. “I thought that with a little practice, you could play in no time. So, why don't you show us that right now, miss?”

“Let me see that.” Amuro took over. With the guitar strap over his shoulder, he started strumming like a pro.

“Tou-san...” Fumio gawked, utterly speechless.

“With some practice, even these girls can learn to play like that.” Amuro returned the electric guitar. “Sonoko-san, you should watch your big mouth.” he whispered.

“Hey, Amuro-san, you should join our band.” Sonoko voiced.

At that, Fumio choked on his juice and started coughing. “Sorry, wrong pipe.” the blond boy apologized.

“I can help you practice, though.” Amuro offered. “Would you like to go to a rental studio and practice a little right now?”

“Hey, you.” Sera started. “Have we met before?”

“No.” Amuro replied. “I believe today's the first time we've met.”

* * *

“Sera-chan, that was amazing.” Ran applauded, the group hearing Sera strum a basic chord on the rental guitar.

“Didn't Sea-nee-san just play a simple chord?” Fumio pointed out.

“Well, that's all my brother's friend taught me.” Sera admitted.

“Do you remember what the man who taught you bass looks like?” Amuro asked.

“More or less.” Sera answered. “But how do you know my brother's friend was a man?”

“Just a hunch.” Amuro replied.

“Fumio, what are you listening to?” Conan noticed the other boy had been silent the entire time.

“Ah.” Fumio removed his earphones and paused the recorded song he was playing on his smartphone. “All this music talk made me want to replay kaa-san's harp solo piece.”

“Your mother plays the harp?” Sonoko gushed.

“Though, she's been branching out to the koto and the Chinese guzheng lately.” Fumio supplied.

“Fumio, isn't this piece...” Conan listened to the song piece. Unplugging the earphone, he unpaused the song, the starting verse of Inuyasha's 'Love Across Time' continued to play. “The ending theme of the Inuyasha's animated film?”

* * *

“Come on!” Kibune Someka's sharp retort from the other caught the group's attention. “At this rate, we won't make it in time. We have only a week until the concert. Tadako, your bass is offbeat and I couldn't hear you at all. Rumi, your keyboard was off in places. You didn't cut your fingernails, did you? And Hagie, your drums felt more sluggish than before. Get it together, girls.” she chided, Hagie letting out a yawn.

“But, Someka, your guitar was too fast.” Fuekawa Tadako pointed out.

“You seem irritated.” Hagie noted.

“Because we're running out of time.” Kibune urged.

“And you haven't noticed that your button's nearly fallen off.” Hagie added. “On your left breast pocket. In any case, we'll resume once we've cooled our heads.” she stood up to leave. “Until then, I'm going to take a nap in the studio. I should be better after a ten minute nap.”

“What should I do about my nails?” Kogure Rumi sighed.

“Want yo use my nail cutters?” Fuekawa offered. “Someka, want me to sew your button back on? I brought my sewing kit.”

“Tadako, you're like a mom.” Kogure noted. “You're so good at sewing.”

“I'm not as good at Akane at knitting, though.” Fuekawa reminded. “She made the knit hat Hagie is wearing.”

“That's right.” Kibune stated. “This is a tribute concert for Akane, so we have to make it a success. But Hagie's taking a nap. Does she really get it?”

* * *

“Now that we've decided you'll be playing Okino Yoko-san's 'Dandelion', who's going to sing the vocals?” Amuro posted a question.

“Sonoko, right?” Ran blinked.

“I can't multi-task.” Sonoko replied. “Sera-chan, can you sing?”

“I'll pass.” Sera smiled. “What about your boyfriend, Shinichi-kun?” she turned to Ran. “I bet he can play the guitar, too.”

“Shinichi can play the violin, but I don't know about the guitar.” Ran admitted. “And his singing... he sings like Conan-kun.”

“In other words, he's totally tone-deaf.” Fumio teased.

“Sorry about that.” Conan deathpanned when a female's scream rang from the studio.

“Aren't those the screams from the girl band we saw just now?” Sera recognized the scream.

“It came from the studio upstairs.” Amuro noted and the detective trio dashed to the crime scene.

* * *

“Yoshikawa lines on her neck.” Amuro peered closely at the victim.

“She was strangled.” Sera concluded.

“Who would strangle Hagie?” Kibune asked.

“I think we''ll know right away.” Conan pointed to the security camera in the studio. “We can view the footage from the security camera on the ceiling.”

* * *

“What is this?” Sera demanded, the counter clerk played the recorded footage and a blacked-out half screen appeared on the TV screen. “Half of the image is black. And the drums are blocked entirely.”

“That might be the back of a phone.” Kogure explained.

“We were filming ourselves practicing.” Kibune added.

“We stuck a selfie stick to the mic.” Fuekawa supplied.

“I see.” Amuro noted. “Under these circumstances...”

“Even if someone did something next to the victim...” Sera continued.

_There's no way for us to know what it was._ Conan finished.

* * *

“I see.” Inspector Megure's team was called to the scene. “Because of the cellphone on the selfie stick, you attached a mic stand to record your performance, the security camera's image is cut into half, obscuring the area around the drums, and preventing us from knowing who killed her.””

“By the way, who put this here?” Takagi inquired, pointing to the selfie stick.

“It was me.” Fuekawa replied. “I wasn't trying to block the security camera. I just put it where I was told to.”

“While watching the image on the phone, we told her to move it to the left or further back.” Kibune explained.

“Although in the end, I think we decided where to put it when Hagie said, 'There's fine. Let's start practicing'.”

“Which means this situation was just waiting to happen.” Inspector Megure mused.

“Yes.” Amuro agreed. “The culprit must've been expecting this situation so they could use it in their crime. If I can offer a detective's perspective, that is.” he beamed.

“In any case, we should probably question the three girls while watching the security camera footage.” Sera suggested.

“Apparently, the three of them came to this studio one at a time to wake Hagie-san.” Conan added.

“It's the cafe detective, the high school girl detective and the boy who thinks he's a detective again.” Inspector Megure sighed. “Tell me if this sounds right. While the four of you were taking a break in the basement, Hagie-san said she was going to take a nap in the studio. One at a time, you went to wake her, but she remained asleep. Since she's been sleeping for more then thirty minutes, you finally decided to go wake her together. But when you got there, she had been murdered. Who went to wake Hagie-san first?”

“It was me.” Fuekawa replied. “I called out to her a few times, but there was no answer. She was still asleep by the time I finished reattaching the button, so I went back to the break room where Someka and Rumi were waiting.”

“That must be it.” Takagi noted as Fuekawa's segment came on. “When Takedera-san entered the room. Half of her body is hidden, but you can tell she's sewing something onto the jacket.”

“You were there for more than ten minutes.” Inspector Megure pointed out. “Does it really take that long to sew a button?”

“When I looked more closely, I realized her cuffs were frayed.” Fuekawa explained.

“Who went to wake her next?” Inspector Megure questioned.

“Me.” Kibune answered. “My guitar's out for maintenance, so I borrowed one from the studio. But one of the strings broke during practice. I thought I'd try waking her while I replaced the string.”

“This is Someka-san, right?” Takagi confirmed as Kibune's segment entered the screen. “This is you replacing the string and tuning the guitar. But doesn't tuning make noise?”

“And you're standing pretty close to the drums.” Inspector Megure stated. “How did Hagie-san seem then?”

“She was sleeping with her face on the high tom-tom and covering it with her face.” Kibune replied. “Hagie always slept like that.”

“So if she was already dead by that point...” Sera stated.

“You wouldn't have known.” Amuro added.

“Are you trying to say I killed her when I went first?” Fuekawa protested.

“We're just speaking hypothetically.” Amuro defended.

“Rumi-san, you were the last one to go wake her?” Inspector Megure asked.

“Yes.” Kogure confirmed. “During practice, there was actually a section of the song I wanted to change. I thought I could wake her while working on the song. You'll see if you look at the sheet music that was in the studio. Although with Hagie dead, we might not be get to perform that song anymore.”

“She's in the video.” Takagi reported. “But Rumi-san, you're moving the keyboard.”

“I moved it away from the drums so I won't wake Hagie.” Kogure explained. “I called to her when I finished, but she didn't answer.”

“Well, we're going to look for the string used to strangle Hagie-san.” Inspector Megure declared. “After undergoing a body search, I'd like the three of you to wait in the break room in the basement.”

* * *

“You can't find the weapon?” Inspector Megure echoed after Takagi reported. “Did you search the entire area?”

“Yes, from the studio to the drains.” Takagi confirmed.

“The estimated time of death is when the three of them were to the studio to wake the victim.” Inspector Megure stated. “According to the store's security camera at the entrance, the three of them haven't gone outside. And if a body check didn't produce the weapon, then it must be around here somewhere. Search harder.”


	43. The Unfriendly Girls Band, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“You want to search us again?” Fuekawa echoed.

“You just searched us thoroughly.” Kibune protested.

“We just want to make sure.” Takagi assured.

“You still haven't found the murder weapon?” Kogure inquired.

“And you think one of us is hiding it.” Fuekawa concluded.

“Don't tell me you think we swallowed it.” Kibune argued. “If that's the case, x-ray us or do whatever else you want.”

“We're open to anything, if it'll clear our name.” Fuekawa agreed.

“Anyway, have you examined the other bands yet?” Kogure asked. “Hagie fought with other bands all the time.”

“They may have resented her.” Kibune surmised.

“The other day, with a band we performed with...” Kogure recalled.

“Who is this vocalist who committed suicide?” Takagi asked.

“Shuto Akane.” Fuekawa supplied. “She had a beautiful voice.”

“Onee-san-tachi.” Conan voiced. “Which of you first suggested that you form a band?”

“It was Hagie.” Fuekawa replied. “We were classmates in college. She said she found a great vocalist, so we started a band with Akane.”

“Akane could play the guitar, bass and keyboard in addition to singing.” Kogure added. “She taught us all sorts of things.”

“But she couldn't do anything feminine.” Kibune reminisced. “Hagie taught her how to cook and I taught her about makeup and fashion.”

“I tried teaching Akane sewing and embroidery, but she didn't stick with it for very long.” Fuekawa added. “The only thing she kept doing was knitting, which Rumi taught her.”

“Come to think of it, I want to see the practice video you said you filmed in the studio.” Fumio piped in.

“Sure.” Kogure pulled out her cellphone. “I turned it off while we weren't practicing, so we don't have video of the culprit, though. See?” she played the video.

“I thought you handed that in to the police.” Fuekawa blinked as Fumio took the phone, Conan hurried over to the blond boy to watch the clip.

“The detective returned it to me because it didn't seem to have anything to do with the case.” Kogure replied.

“Why is the video shot vertically?” Sera asked, she and Amuro were also watching the video over Fumio's shoulders.

“Wouldn't the band fit into the shot better if you shot it horizontally?” Amuro wondered.

“Our feet will be cut off if we shot it horizontally, so we decided to do it vertically.” Fuekawa explained.

_I see._ Sera smiled.

_So that's how it is._ Amuro mirrored the smile.

* * *

“Seriously?” Inspector Megure echoed after Takagi reported back. “You still haven't found the weapon? The victim, Yamaji Hagie-san was strangled using a rope or string-like weapon. She even had Yoshikawa lines on her neck that indicate she struggled while she was being strangled. In other words, there must be a weapon with Yamaji-san's blood on it somewhere in this studio, so why haven't you found it?”

“We investigated all the strings in the studio, but none of them produced a luminol reaction.” Takagi answered. “We also examined the scissors in Fuekawa Tadako-san's sewing kit and Kogure Rumi-san's nail clippers, but we didn't find anything. If they used them to cut a bloodied string, there would've been a reaction.”

“Then, someone in a different band must've strangled Yamaji-san and left with the weapon.” Inspector Megure concluded. “Were you able to call back all the band members we let go?”

“We couldn't get in touch with a couple of them, so not all of them.” Takagi answered.

“That wouldn't be necessary.” Sera cut in. “After all, the culprit hasn't left the building yet.”

“Then, the culprit...” Inspector Megure trailed.

“Yes.” Amuro confirmed. “That means one of the three remaining band members of Yamaji-san's band did it.”

“Let's head back to the basement break room, where the three of them are waiting.” Conan suggested.

* * *

“One of us murdered Hagie?” Kibune echoed in disbelief. “You're still going on about that?”

“It's not us that's saying it.” Takagi corrected. “It's these three who are helping us with the investigation.”

“I don't care if you think you're detectives.” Kibune snorted.

“But none of us have the string-like weapon.” Fuekawa reminded. “If you think we threw it away somewhere, you should be able to find it somewhere in the studio.”

“There's no way they'll find it.” Amuro took the heat off Takagi. “After all, the weapon has already been transported outside the studio.”

“How could we have taken the weapon outside?” Kogure protested.

“Because you're not the one who took it outside.” Sera explained. “It was the police. The police took the victim's belongings to the station where they're being examined, right?”

“But there aren't any strings in her possessions.” Takagi pointed out.

“What if that string had been knitted into something else and was shaped differently?” Sera posted a question. “The knit-hat Hagie-san was wearing. The weapon is a piece of yarn knitted into that hat.”

“The culprit brought a piece of yarn the same color as Hagie-san's hat with them.” Amuro reasoned. “After strangling her with the yarn, they removed the decoration on top of the hat, knitted the weapon into the yarn, replaced the decoration and put it on her head. Since they folded up a larger section of the hat, no one really noticed.”

“But don't you use two pointed sticks called knitting needles to knit?” Takagi wondered. “None of them had anything like that.”

“There were some.” Conan corrected. “Next to the woman who died. On top of the snare drum to the left of the victim, there were drumsticks. Couldn't you knit with those?”

“The three of them entered the studio for about ten minutes to wake Hagie-san.” Takagi related. “Tadako-san repaired the button that was falling off Someka-san's jacket. Someka-san was repairing her broken guitar string. And Rumi-san was fixing the song you were working on. None of them had time to knit anything.”

“There was one person who could've prepared for that beforehand.” Amuro corrected the younger officer. “You could've prepared what you did beforehand, Kogure Rumi-san.”

“And unlike the others, Rumi-san's back was to the camera.” Sera added. “She could've pretended to play the keyboard while she was knitting. Apparently, you're good enough at knitting to teach the others.”

“But I can knit too.” Fuekawa pointed out.

“And she couldn't have done that without covering half of the security camera.” Kibune argued.

“We attached a phone on a selfie stick to a mic stand.” Kogure added. “It was coincidence that it ended up in front of the security camera. The three of us decided where to put it by looking at the video and offering our opinions. Or are you saying we worked together to put it in front of the security camera?”

“We figured out that trick after seeing the video of you performing together.” Amuro answered.

“May we see it again?” Inspector Megure requested.

“Look at where the four of them are standing.” Amuro voiced. “The positions of the drum is already set and can't be changed. And the two playing the guitar and bass will stay in frame no matter how they move. So the position of the phone being used to shoot the video depends on the keyboard in the top left corner. In other words, Rumi-san could control where the phone will be set, depending on the location of her keyboard. It would even be possible to control it so it would be covering half the security camera image. If she was too close to the drums, the phone would be positioned closer, preventing her from blocking the camera. If she was too far away, the phone would also move away and the phone would disappear from the camera's frame.”

“After blocking half the security camera's image, you pretended to go wake Hagie-san, and strangled her with the yarn.” Sera took over. “You used her drumsticks to knit the yarn into her hat, all the while pretending to fix the song. Then, you put the hat back on her head and returned to the break room like nothing happened.”

“But unless she knee Hagie-san would sleep on the drums...” Inspector Megure voiced.

“Someka-san, didn't you mention that Hagie-san always slept like that?” Amuro inquired. “If she always did, by mixing sleeping pills into Hagie-san's drink, then she'd predicted that Hagie-san would return to the studio along to nap against her drums. I'm sure you'll find a plastic bottle with traces of sleeping pills on it if you search the garbage cans in the studio.”

“Search them.” Inspector Megure instructed. “And tell forensics to examine the victim's knit hat. Kogure Rumi-san, could you come with us to the station?”

“But what about the scissors?” Kogure questioned. “Without scissors, I couldn't have removed the pom-pom on top of her knit hat.”

“You used nail clippers.” Sera answered. “You knew Tadako-san would lend you hers if you let your nails grow out.”

“That's just your imagination.” Kogure insisted. “There's no proof that I did it.”

“It's obvious.” Conan took a hand. “After all, you borrowed her nail clippers, but you didn't trim your nails. It means you knew you wouldn't be practicing anymore today. You wouldn't need to cut your nails.”

“And from the yarn in Hagie-san's knit hat, I'm sure they'll find her blood and your fingerprints.” Amuro added. “Modern forensic investigators can even collect fingerprints from the fluffy surface of a tennis ball.”

“You're not making any sense.” Kibune retorted. “Rumi would never use that knit hat as a murder weapon.”

“Yeah.” Fuekawa agreed. “After all, Rumi and Akane were the closest in the band, and she knit that hat.”

“That's right.” Kogure admitted. “I used that hat because Akane had knit it. I wanted her to taste Akane's bitterness. You know how Akane ruined her voice, right?”

“When Hagie was drunk, she told her that she wanted her voice to be deeper.” Fuekawa recalled.

“That's right.” Kogure hissed. “She took her seriously and gargled with liquor, and pressed a cushion against her face and screamed to achieve a huskier voice. But Hagie... that's what she said. It was too much. She didn't understand how Akane felt. Several days later, Akane jumped in front of a car and killed herself. So I avenged Akane.”

“It wasn't suicide.” Kibune corrected. “It was an accident.”

“It was suicide.” Kogure insisted. “Otherwise, she never would've ignored the traffic light.”

“You're wrong, Rumi.” Fuekawa cut her rant off. “It was a boy who ignored the traffic light and jumped into traffic. Akane was hit by a car trying to save him.”

“You're lying.” Kogure stood her ground. “After all, Hagie said at the funeral that it was her fault that Akane died.”

“Probably because Akane did when Hagie told her to do.” Fuekawa reasoned. “She said 'Don't speak until your voice recovers. You'll get your beautiful voice back in no time. I'm sorry for saying something so stupid when I was drunk.'”

“The people who witnessed the accident said she jumped into traffic to save the boy instead of calling out to him.” Kibune added.

“You didn't know because you were bedridden from the shock of Akane's death.” Fuekawa stated.

“No...” Kogure wept.

* * *

“No way.” Sonoko gaped as Kogure was led off by Takagi. “The keyboardist did it?”

“But I'm impressed, Sera-chan.” Ran noted. “You solved another case.”

“You think?” Sera blinked. “With Amuro-san and Conan-kun's help, a case like this is a piece of cake. I'm only a detective because of my brother's influence, though.”

“You mean the smart brother you mentioned during the Red Woman case?” Ran asked.

“No, that's my middle brother.” Sera replied. “I was influenced by my oldest brother.”

“I thought your oldest brother was dead.” Ran blinked.

“Was he a cop who died in the line of duty?” Sonoko asked.

“Yeah, but he wasn't a Japanese cop.” Sera answered. “He's an agent of America's FBI. Apparently, he had a hard time getting his green card.”

“Hey, what's your brother's name?” Conan asked.

“It's Akai Shuichi.” Sera grinned.

“Uncle _Akai_?” Fumio choked in shock. “Sera-nee-san, did you know kaa-san _almost_ made him my godfather?”


	44. The Detective Boys in a Grove, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“Meal tickets?” the Detective Boys stopped in their tracks after Professor Agasa informed them of the meal tickets he won.

“Did you win them in a lottery again?” Genta asked.

“I thought we could go to the high-class restaurant on the top floor of the Beika Department Store.” Professor Agasa chuckled. “Don't celebrate yet. You've got another good thing waiting for you.”

“You have eye bags under your eyes, Haibara-san.” Fumio pointed out.

“Last night, I found a cockroach just before going to bed.” Haibara yawned. “It took until four in the morning to get rid of it.”

“I see...” Fumio blinked.

“The Professor went to sleep before I did, though.” Haibara deathpanned.

“You _do_ know you can kill cockroaches with boric acid, right?” Fumio reminded. “Kaa-san has this boric acid paste that is totally natural. You just combine three teaspoons of boric acid with three teaspoons of sugar and three teaspoons of water. Mix the ingredients into a paste, then apply it in areas where you'd spotted the roaches. Two weeks later, wham, no more cockroach.”

* * *

Inside the Beika Department Store, we find the entire mall was decorated from top to bottom for Christmas.

“It's amazing!” Ayumi gawked at the Christmas tree that stood in the middle of the ground floor. “The department store is decked out for Christmas.”

“Now that I think about it,” Conan mused as he watched the store employees hand out balloons. “Fumio, didn't you and your mother spent the last seven years in America? What is Christmas like there?”

“Pretty much the same here in Japan.” Fumio replied. “Kaa-san always handmade her Christmas presents; her Christmas ornament gifts were a great hit last year.”

“And this year?” Conan asked. “The both of you _are_ celebrating with Amuro-san, right?”

“Probably...” Fumio thought for a while.

“The elevator is over there.” Professor Agasa pointed, before the kids wandered too far off.

* * *

“I'm stuffed.” Genta petted his stomach after lunch. “What is it, Professor?” he asked.

“Something good's happening after this, right?” Mitsuhiko pressed.

“I actually won a gift certificate to this department store, in addition to the meal tickets.” Professor Agasa declared. “It's almost Christmas, so I thought we could use this ten thousand yen gift certificate to buy presents for you. Where did they go?” he blinked.

“Over there.” Conan pointed to the door, as Genta, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi left the restaurant.

“What I won as a ten thousand yen...” Professor Agasa reminded.

“Maybe I'll go check out the new Fusae brand clutches.” Haibara stated.

“Ai-kun, you too?” Professor Agasa sighed.

“Well, I suppose I'm lucky kaa-san always made her Christmas presents by hand.” Fumio remarked.

“Did you call me, sir?” Hosogoe Ujiyasu exited from the kitchen after a customer requested his presence.

“Are you the chef here?” the balding man inquired.

“Yes, sir.” Hosogoe smiled. “I'm the head chef here. Is there a problem with the food?”

“Actually, my husband is insisting that the secret ingredient in this soup is miso.” the wife voiced.

“Yes, it is Haccho miso.” Hosogoe confirmed. “I'm impressed that you noticed.”

“Chef.” one of Hosogoe's assistants whispered into his ear. “We received another call from that customer. They said they're here at the department store today and want to speak to you in person.”

“We can't let them start a commotion here in the restaurant.” Hosogoe replied. “Tell them we'll talk in the stairway next to the restaurant in thirty minutes.”

* * *

About thirty minutes later...

“I guess we should look for those kids.” Professor Agasa remarked.

“There's no need for that.” Conan corrected, the trio had left the restaurant. “I've been receiving tons of messages telling us to come right away because they found what they wanted. They all sent pictures, too.” he opened the MMS. “Genta's on the seventh floor where the sporting goods store is. Mitsuhiko's on the fifth floor where the camera store is. Ayumi-chan's on the fourth floor where the toy store is. And Haibara's on the first floor where the bags and brand-name products are.”

“Everyone's expecting me to buy them something.” Professor Agasa chuckled.

“Conan, what's wrong?” Fumio blinked when Conan looked at his watch.

“Nothing, I was just thinking it's been thirty minutes.” Conan replied.

“What was that scream?” Professor Agasa wondered when they heard a pained yell in the distance.

“It came from the stairs.” Conan took off running.

“I swear you're a jinx, Conan.” Fumio stated, following the group's leader as they barreled through crowd.

“Isn't he the chef of the restaurant we were just at?” Professor Agasa gaped when they saw the gravely wounded Hosogoe lying by the staircase with a knife stabbed into his stomach.

“The culprit...” Hosogoe winced. “Ran downstairs...”

“Fumio.” Conan looked at the blond boy.

“On it.” Fumio had already produced his cellphone and making a call to the police and ambulance.

“Guys, can you hear me?” Conan shouted down the Detective Badge. “Someone was just stabbed at the tenth floor restaurant area. The culprit is currently fleeing down the stairs. If you're near the stairs, check to see if anyone's running down them. Haibara, explain the situation to the department store reception desk and tell them to stop any customers who are short of breath from leaving.” he instructed, running down the staircase. “The rest of you just look at the culprit. Remember their face, clothes and distinguishing characteristics. Got it? They tried to kill someone. There's no telling what they'll do if they think you know. Whatever you do, don't try anything.”

* * *

“So, at Conan-kun's direction, these three are the ones who were caught at the exit in a hurry to leave.” Inspector Megure noted, the Detective Boys having took in the three suspects. “All three of you seem rather sweaty.”

“I was looking for a bathroom.” Kamaya Takashi explained. “The bathrooms on every floor was full. I was stopped while trying to go to a nearby convenience store so I could use their bathroom.”

“What about you?” Inspector Megure turned to Shikama Mitsuko.

“I was looking for my wallet.” Shikama replied. “I thought I might've left it somewhere, so I've been running around all the shops I shopped at today.”

“Did you find your wallet?” Inspector Megure inquired.

“Yes.” Shikama answered. “When I took a closer look, I found it inside my bag.”

“What about you?” Inspector Megure questioned Miyadai Masaru.

“I had Thai food at the restaurant area here.” Miyadai replied. “I'm a chef, so I was here to study the flavors. The sauteed vegetables I had were particularly spicy. I couldn't stop sweating, so I was hurrying home to take a shower.”

“All three of them do have a reason for being in a hurry.” Takagi noted.

“That leaves the testimony of the kids who say they saw the culprit.” Inspector Megure turned to the Detective Boys.

“Don't worry.” Conan assured. “They didn't see their face, but they say they remember the culprit's distinguishing characteristics.”

“We got a good look.” Mitsuhiko confirmed.

“They were pretty small.” Genta started. “They had the number 2 on their clothes, which were gray. It was the same color as what Haibara's wearing.”

“You're wrong.” Mitsuhiko interjected. “They were on the larger side, and they were wearing dark gray clothes. They had a masculine run, too.”

“No, they were small!” Genta insisted. “They probably just looked big because you're so small.”

“No, I'm sure of it.” Mitsuhiko insisted. “It was a large man.”

“I thought it was a woman.” Ayumi cut in. “They were wearing gray clothes so light that they were almost white. They were average height, just a little taller than the Professor.”

_Wait a minute..._ Conan gawked.

“This is a problem.” Haibara noted.

“No kidding.” Fumio sighed.

_All their stories are totally different._ Conan was stunned as the three started arguing among themselves.

“To summarize what you told us,” Takagi intervened. “The culprit who stabbed Hosogoe-san around these stairs on the tenth floor restaurant area, according to Genta-kun, who was on the seventh floor, was a smaller person with a number 2 on their clothes which were a gray color similar to Ai-chan's clothes. According to Mitsuhiko-kun, who was on the fifth floor, it was a large person with a masculine run, wearing dark gray clothes. And according to Ayumi-chan, who was on the fourth floor, it was a woman slightly taller than Agasa-san, wearing light gray clothes.”

“But all three of the people who were stopped from leaving the department store were wearing gray.” Inspector Megure pointed out.

“Although the shades are different.” Takagi added. “Kamaya-san, you're wearing a gray similar to Ai-chan's clothes, like Genta-kun described.”

“You can't be serious.” Kamaya protested. “I seriously was just looking for an empty bathroom stall.”

“What's this?” Inspector Megure peered at the two fingers bandaged together. “You seem to have injured the fingers on your right hand.”

“I sprained it.” Kamaya explained. “I was in a hurry and hit the bathroom door.”

“Then, the person wearing light gray like Ayumi-chan described...” Takagi started.

“Wait a minute.” Shikama cut in. “Didn't I tell you? I was running around the shops I visited today while looking for my wallet.”

“But the wallet was in your bag, right?” Takagi inquired. “Why were you in such a hurry to leave?”

“I was in a hurry because I remembered the TV drama I missed was airing a rerun tonight.” Shikama replied, coughing.

“There's no number 2 on your clothes, either.” Inspector Megure noted. “The brooch on your chest does resemble a number. Not a 2, but a 6. Miyadai-san, that leaves you, who's wearing dark gray clothes like Mitsuhiko-kun described.”

“Wait a minuted.” Miyadai objected. “I wasn't lying when I said I was sweating because of the spicy food I ate, and I was in a hurry to leave so I could go home and take a shower. I actually came here because I heard rumors that the Thai restaurant here serves a soup that tastes like ours. I tried it, but didn't think it tasted that similar, so I left without saying anything.”

“By the way, there seems to be something written on the back of your jacket.” Inspector Megure noted.

“But it's not a number.” Miyadai removed his scarf to reveal the 'Tokyo Spirits' logo.

“Then, there's the reason why Ayumi-chan thought the culprit was a woman.” Inspector Megure added.

“Why did you think that?” Takagi asked.

“I just thought they were a woman.” Ayumi answered.

“Inspector Megure.” Chiba ran in. “We just learned the victim Hosogoe-san had connections to these three. Kayama-san worked at a restaurant where the victim was a head chef until two years ago. But his attitude during work was bad, so he was fired. Shikama-san lives in the apartment next to the victim's. Apparently, they frequently got in arguments because her dog barked too loudly. And three years ago, Miyadai-san created a commotion when he claimed the victim ripped off his food. The local police had to show up.”

“I see.” Inspector Megure nodded. “It looks like we'll need to question the three of you more thoroughly.”

“Before you do, could you ask the three of them if they have gloves?” Conan piped in.

“That's right.” Fumio realized. “The culprit's fingerprints weren't on the weapon. So, if the victim used gloves and the victim's blood got on then, it'll make sense if the culprit threw the gloves away.”

“I have some.” Miyadai pulled out his brown gloves.

“So do I.” Shikama took out her beige gloves.

“It was cold out.” Kayama revealed his black gloves.

“There doesn't seem to be blood on any of them.” Inspector Megure noted.

“According to the coroner, the victim was bleeding because he tried to remove the knife himself.” Chiba reported. “It's possible the culprit didn't get much blood on him.”

“In any case, well be questioning the three of you in a separate room.” Inspector Megure declared and led the three suspects off.

* * *

  
“Then, how come you couldn't see the culprit's face?” Conan asked Genta after confirming his description.

“Because I was in the sporting goods area where some basketball players taking the stairs got in the way.” Genta replied.

* * *

“Oh, them?” the sporting goods store's clerk recalled. “That was the Haido High Basketball team. Their new uniform was just completed today, so the entire team came to pick them up. They'll all so tall, they look like adults.”

“Do you know what the uniforms look like?” Conan asked.

“I took a picture to commemorate it.” the store clerk showed Conan the picture.

“They're the same gray as the clothes Ai-kun is wearing.” Professor Agasa noted.

“The culprit was wearing the same gray color.” Genta insisted. “ “They quickly passed in front of the basketball players heading for the stairs and went down.”

“Then, the basketball players could have seen the culprit, too.” Fumio reasoned.

“Maybe not.” Genta corrected. “I shouted at them to move, so they were all looking at me.”

“But basketball uniforms have numbers on them, right?” Mitsuhiko reminded.

“Then, maybe you mistook someone on the basketball team wearing number 2 for the culprit.” Haibara surmised.

“I didn't make a mistake.” Genta retorted. “He was the only one running.”

“But if there are numbers everywhere...” Professor Agasa trailed.

“No, Genta definitely saw the number 2.” Conan was confident. “There's no number 1, 2, or 3 in basketball.”

“But, none of those three were wearing the number 2.” Fumio reminded.

“That's the thing.” Conan conceded. “If only you'd taken pictures of the culprit. Genta, your hands are full with a bat and glove.” he noted, pulling out Genta's picture. “Who took this picture?”

“The basketball players I mentioned earlier.” Genta replied.

“Looks like Mitsuhiko and Haibara took selfies.” Conan scanned through the photos. “Ayumi-chan, you didn't take yours yourself, did you?”

“Nope.” Ayumi nodded. “A nice lady working at the toy store took it for me. When I told her I got a message from you saying the culprit who stabbed someone was coming down the stairs, she showed me where they were.”

“Then, that employee...” Mitsuhiko started.

“May also have seen the culprit.” Haibara finished.

“In any case, let's go to the toy store.” Conan expressed.

* * *

Meanwhile...

“Not Christmas shopping?” Amuro was surprised to see Ami at home.

“Too much hassle.” Ami shrugged, letting the tanned male in. “I learned my lesson after the first Christmas in America.”

“And, what're you giving this year?” Amuro gave the coffee table in the living room a glance-over and seeing the glittery wrapped presents.

“Now, that would be telling.” Ami grinned.

“Tease.” Amuro smirked.


	45. The Detective Boys in a Grove, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“Hey Conan!” Genta shouted, the group following Conan who was running down the stairs.

“What?” one of the department store's employees blinked when Mitsuhiko suddenly shouted.

“What's wrong, Mitsuhiko?” Conan asked.

“When I saw the culprit, these mannequins were near the fifth floor stairs.” Mitsuhiko pointed to the white mannequin the employee was bringing upstairs. “I just remembered I saw the culprit slip between the the mannequins as they headed down the stairs.”

“Oji-san, are those really on the fifth floor?” Conan inquired.

“Yeah, about ten of them.” the employee confirmed. “We're holding a children's uniform fair in the sporting goods area, so we're moving the mannequins to the seventh floor from the fifth floor storage room. The fifth floor used to be a toy store that sold children's clothes, too. I moved four or five spares signs up to the seventh floor, too.” he continued to climb the staircase. “Even though the service elevator is being inspected, the floor manager told me to hurry.”

“That's right.” Mitsuhiko recalled. “I couldn't see the culprit from the neck-up because the signs were blocking my view.”

“Then, can't we determine the culprit's approximate height by looking at the signs?” Professor Agasa suggested.

“But there were tall ones and short ones and I don't remember which sign it was.” Mitsuhiko admitted.

“Were the mannequins the same as that one?” Conan pressed.

“Yes, although they were all kind of white.” Mitsuhiko replied.

“Were the signs white, too?” Conan inquired.

“Yes.” Mitsuhiko nodded. “It looked like something had been pasted to the front at one point, but it was torn off.”

“In any case, let's hurry to the toy store on the fourth floor.” Haibara reminded. “That employee could be our most reliable witness.”

* * *

“Sorry.” the toy store clerk apologized. “You're talking about when I took this girl to the stairs, right? I was running, so my contacts slipped out of place. I only saw a fuzzy image.”

“I see.” Professor Agasa noted. “That's too bad.”

“Do you remember anything that happened then?” Conan asked. “Even something indistinct could help.”

“Well...” the store clerk recalled. “The girl and I waited behind the wall near the stairs for the culprit to come down. When they first appeared, they were back lit by the window and appear as a silhouette. I doubt she saw them clearly either. But it looked like the culprit stopped in front of the window for a little bit.”

“Stopped?” Fumio echoed.

“It looked like they were removing something stuck to the bottom of their left shoe.” Ayumi nodded.

“Maybe it was chewing gum.” Genta reasoned.

“I don't know.” Ayumi admitted.

“Even if it were chewing gum, they probably already threw it away somewhere.” Haibara pointed out.

“The culprit ran down the stairs after that, right?” Conan asked. “Did you see their face?”

“I tried, but a bunch of middle or high school boys came up the stairs.” Ayumi replied. “The culprit ran past as they did, so I didn't get a god look.”

“How did you know they were middle or high school students?” Conan inquired.

“They are all wearing the same clothes.” Ayumi answered.

“The same clothes?” Fumio blinked.

“Now that you mention it, a group of high school students on a school trip came to buy souvenirs.” the store clerk remembered. “They reminded me of the high school cheerleader I liked. In my case, even flirty students would cover up with stand-up collars and looked like straight-laced cheerleaders.”

“Then, those students must've seen the culprit, too.” Professor Agasa reasoned.

“Do you know which high school they were from?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“I'm not sure.” the store clerk mused. “A few of them were here until a moment ago.”

“Hidden but seen?” Fumio cast a look at Conan, both sleuth-in-training sharing a similar smile. “Looks like the mystery is solved.”

“Yeah.” Conan agreed. “We know why your testimonies were all different. And who the culprit is.”

* * *

“Inspector, we found it.” Takagi reported to Inspector Megure via the cellphone. “We found the helium gas can the culprit used to change their voice when they called the victim's restaurant in the shrubbery next to a phone booth near the department store.”

“Then, after calling the restaurant on the tenth floor of the department store using the payphone, they hurried to the stairs next to the restaurant, stabbed Hosogoe-san when he came to deal with the complaint, and fled down the stairs.” Inspector Megure concluded.

“Forensics is examining the phone booth and can right now.” Takagi reported. “But since the culprit's fingerprints weren't on the knife, we're not expecting to find them there either.”

“Which means we'll have to wait until the victim regains consciousness.” Inspector Megure sighed.

“It's okay.” Conan cut in. “We know who did it based on their testimonies.”

“But, Conan-kun,” Inspector Megure voiced. “The suspects who attempted to flee the department store are the small Shikama Mitsuko who is wearing light gray clothes, and has a brooch resembling the number 6 on her chest. The large Miyadai Masaru wearing a dark gray jacket with the Tokyo Spirits logo printed on the back. And the medium-sized Kamaya Takashi, wearing a neither light nor dark gray jacket, with the characters for Beika on the back. But your testimonies were all over the place. Nobody was a perfect match.”

“Shall we try it, then?” Fumio beamed. “Then, you'll realize their inconsistent testimonies all point to the same person.”

* * *

“We'll start from the seventh floor stairs where the sporting goods are.” Conan recreated the scene. “Genta, you saw the culprit running down the stairs here, right?”

“Who are they?” Inspector Megure wondered, as the group of high school basketball players entered the scene, with their uniforms on.

“The basketball players that were with Genta when he saw the culprit.” Fumio replied. “We called them to have them come. Genta, please describe the culprit again.”

“They were on the smaller side, wearing clothes the same gray as Haibara and had the number 2 on their clothes.” Genta reiterated.

“Detective Chiba, can you go stand by the basketball players?” Conan requested. “Detective Chiba is a little chubby and average height, and slightly taller than the Professor.”

“See?” Fumio nodded, as Chiba took a place among the basketball players. “Now that he's surrounded by the tall basketball players, doesn't he look smaller than usual?”

“The impression you have of an object is influenced by the size of the objects surrounding it.” Conan explained. “Even if they're the same size, they look like different sizes. Next, Detective Chiba, can you hold Haibara and hide behind the basketball players?”

“Hide him a little more.” Fumio shifted one of the basketball players inwards after Chiba picked up Haibara and stood among the basketball players.

“The buttons on Ai-chan's clothes look like the number .” Ayumi pointed.

“You're right.” Mitsuhiko blinked. “If you hide both sides of her buttons, it would look like the number 8.”

“The basketball uniforms and Haibara-san's clothes are both the same shade of gray.” Fumio remarked. “And since the area is full of numbers, it's the reason why it looks that way.”

“But I saw the number 2.” Genta reminded.

* * *

“Next are the fifth floor stairs by the camera shop where Mitsuhiko saw the culprit.” Conan led the group down.

“Is this accurate?” Fumio asked, the group entered the scene where the white mannequins and sighs were clustered around the staircase.

“It's more or less how it was.” Mitsuhiko confirmed. “The culprit slipped between these mannequins and signs.”

“We had a department store employee put them back where they were when Mitsuhiko saw the culprit.” Fumio supplied.

“Mitsuhiko, what did the culprit you saw look like?” Conan asked.

“They were a large person wearing dark gray clothes with a masculine run.” Mitsuhiko repeated.

“Detective Chiba, could you stand next to the mannequins?” Conan requested.

“Since this is the opposite of the last scenario, I know I look like a larger person when I'm standing in the middle of them.” Chiba shifted into position.

“Then, could you stand in front of the short sign over there, Haibara-san?” Fumio pointed to the signboard, Haibara moving in as Chiba moved away.

“Haibara's clothes...” Genta gawked.

“They look darker than before.” Mitsuhiko gaped.

“The mannequins and signs are a bright white color, making Haibara-san's clothes look darker.” Fumio explained.

“Just like the sizes of objects, colors also influence their surrounding colors.” Conan added. “This is what we call 'contrast' of value'.”

“So, the clothes Mitsuhiko-kun saw might've been a darker gray.” Inspector Megure stated.

* * *

“Finally, Ayumi-chan.” Conan continued. “She saw the culprit on the fourth floor stairs where the toy store is. After receiving my message, an employee brought you here, where you waited for the culprit to come down the stairs, right? What did they look like?”

“At first, I only saw a black person shape because of the light from that window, but I had a feeling they were a woman.” Ayumi pointed. “Then, they came down the stairs, so I know they're wearing light gray clothes and of average height just a little taller than the Professor.”

“Sorry, we're late.” the high school student arrived to the scene. “How can we help in the investigation?”

“Then, could you stand around this girl?” Fumio pointed to Haibara.

“Haibara's clothes this time...” Genta exclaimed after the high school students moved into position.

“They look like a lighter gray than before.” Mitsuhiko gaped.

“Opposite to the previous scenario, colors look lighter when they're surrounded by a dark black.” Conan explained. “When Ayumi-chan saw the culprit, they were running past a group of students wearing their uniforms, so Fumio-kun and I had the basketball players help. We told them we're looking for the person who stabbed someone and to tell their male friends wearing their uniforms to come here.”

“So, who's the culprit?” Inspector Megure asked the two chibi detectives.

“If you exclude from the testimony that their size were influenced by their surroundings, the number 2 that was mistakenly seen because of the colors and numbers, and the uncertain testimony claiming the culprit just seemed like a woman...” Conan replied.

“That means the culprit is of average height that is slightly taller than the Professor and wearing the same gray as Haibara-san with a masculine run.” Fumio concluded. “And there's only one person like that.”

* * *

“Give me a break.” Kamaya complained. “Why are you accusing me based on the vague testimony of those kids?”

“There are three certain facts among their testimony.” Inspector Megure corrected. “The culprit was slightly taller than the Professor, wore the same gray as Ai-kun, and had a masculine run. Kamaya Takashi, you're the only person who matches the description.”

“But there's no number 2 on my clothes and I'm not a woman.” Kamaya protested.

“Onii-san, you have something stuck on the bottom of your left shoe.” Fumio pointed out.

“It's just gum.” Kamaya lifted his leg to check. “I stepped on it somewhere in the department store.”

“He's doing the same thing as the culprit.” Ayumi pointed.

“That's right.” Fumio confirmed. “When there's something stuck to the bottom of his left shoe, normally, a man brings his foot out in front of him to remove it with his right hand; since unlike women, men's hips don't bent outward very easily. But because you couldn't use your right hand due to your sprained finger, you raised your left foot behind you to remove it with your left hand.”

“Ayumi-chan saw your lit back silhouette doing that and intuitively thought you were a woman.” Conan added.

“That woman would do the same thing.” Kamaya pointed to Shikama.

“Try putting that backpack on your back, then.” Conan suggested. “Then, we'll see the number that identifies the culprit.”

“How's this?” Kamaya slung the bag over his shoulder.

“It's a 2!” Genta exclaimed. “This is the 2 I saw.”

“I see.” Professor Agasa realized. “Half of the 'flower' character in Beika was covered by the backpack and looked like a 2.”

“In other words, all of your testimonies were all accurate.” Haibara stated.

“Will you come to us to the station?” Inspector Megure requested.

“Wait a minute.” Kamaya objected. “There's still no proof that I did it.”

“Inspector Megure!” Takagi came in. “We found saliva on the intake of the helium gas can. If we can collect DNA from the saliva, we'll know who it belongs to.”

“Which means, if the DNA is yours, you'll be able to provide with a plausible explanation, won't you?” Inspector Megure glared. “For why you were changing your voice at a payphone near this department store and why you were calling them.”

“I thought he'd know who I was if I didn't change my voice.” Kamaya sighed. “Even though I quit my job two years ago, that chef still remembered my face.”

“So you stabbed him because you were fired?” Inspector Megure asked.

“I wouldn't stab someone over being fired.” Kamaya retorted. “The other day, I invited my girlfriend to eat at that restaurant. I didn't tell her I worked there until two years ago. I watched him cook while I worked there. Since I dyed by hair black and shaved my beard, I called the chef over, thinking he won't recognize me. But the chef... because of him, my girlfriend became disenchanted with me and dumped me. I'd finally gotten back together with her, but because of that chef... but I didn't mean to kill him. I just wanted to scare him by threatening him with a knife.”

“He's not dead.” Takagi informed. “The hospital just called to say that he's regained consciousness. Apparently, Chef Hosogoe asked us not to release the culprit's name until he turned himself in because they used to eat and work together.”

“What a total misunderstanding.” Chiba sighed.

“I'm so appalled, I'm not even angry.” Inspector Megure agreed.


	46. Conan Cornered in the Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“He isn't answering.” Fumio noted, outside the gaming sale as he tried contacting Conan on the Detective Badge.

“He's not answering his phone, either.” Mitsuhiko added, his hand-phone getting a dial tone.

“Maybe he went to eat by himself.” Genta pointed out. “I'm hungry.” as if on cue, his stomach growled.

“He isn't you, Genta.” Fumio deathpanned.

“But the sale has already started.” Mitsuhiko looked into the games store. “What should we do? We got the new one!” he whooped in victory about half an hour later, the quartet having bought the gaming cartridge they wanted.

“Conan-kun's still not here?” Ayumi looked around. “I'd feel bad for him if he couldn't buy a copy of the game.”

“He'll be fine.” Mitsuhiko assured. “There were still plenty of copies on the shelves.”

“I can't take it anymore!” Genta exclaimed, his stomach growling loudly. “I'm going to get something to eat.” he ran off.

Fumio, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi sighed in unison.

“Conan's still not here?” Genta returned with a bun in his hand. “He probably went to get lunch himself.”

“There are still two more hours before noon.” Mitsuhiko reminded.

“But, seriously.” Fumio hissed, reactivating the Detective Badge again. “What on earth happened to him?”

“I'm worried.” Ayumi stated. “Let's have Ai-chan look into it.”

* * *

“Edogawa-kun?” Haibara was in front of the computer in Professor Agasa's house. “Got it.” she pulled out four separate windows. “I'll track his phone's GPS. No signal? In that case...” she leapt off the chair and pulled out a drawer. “Uh oh, his spare glasses are with the Professor for maintenance.” she muttered, seeing the empty space that the spare spectacles used to occupy.

* * *

“This is the Mouri Detective Agency.” Ran took the call. “Ai-chan. Conan-kun? He hasn't come back yet. He's not with you?”

* * *

“I'm not interested in modern games.” Haibara replied, pulling her sweater off the back of the chair. “Tell Edogawa-kun to call me if you hear from him.”

* * *

“What do you mean?” Ran blinked. “Ai-chan!” she shouted down the receiver right after Haibara hung up.

* * *

“Ai-chan!” Ayumi beamed, the last member of the group having joined them.

“Since he's not answering his phone, I don't have a choice.” Haibara reminded. “But we might want to contact the police.”

“But all the Detective Boys are here now.” Mitsuhiko declared. “Let's try looking for him ourselves for a little bit.”

“And Conan might've just gone to get lunch by himself.” Genta suggested.

“Why are you still hung up on that, Genta?” Fumio sighed.

“Where did you part ways with him?” Haibara asked.

“This way.” Ayumi pulled Haibara off, the three boys following closely behind.

* * *

“This was the place, Ai-chan.” Ayumi led Haibara below the bridge.

“That's right.” Mitsuhiko confirmed. “This is where Conan suddenly told us to go on ahead.”

“There weren't any eel or hamburger vendors.” Genta noted.

“Something must've distracted him.” Fumio concluded.

“True.” Haibara agreed. “He might've seen or found something.”

“Like what?” Ayumi asked.

“That's what we're going to find.” Fumio replied. “Ayumi, can you can Haibara-san search that side?” he requested, pointing to the sidewalk. “The three of us will search the other side. Did you find him?” he shouted across to the girls after some time, to which both girls shook their heads.

“Where did Conan-kun go?” Ayumi wondered. “Maybe we should call the police.”

“Wait.” Haibara spotted a locksmith repairing a broken door in the back alley of a law firm.

* * *

“Fixing the lock?” Mitsuhiko echoed, the group having gathering in front of the law firm.

“He was called early this morning by a resident of the building.” Haibara replied, after asking the locksmith.

“Is that what Conan-kun saw?” Ayumi asked.

“Maybe there's a really good restaurant inside.” Genta suggested. “I guess not.” he corrected when Fumio pointed to the law firm signage.

“Maybe it was a thief.” Mitsuhiko guessed.

“It doesn't like like they told him, but it's conceivable.” Haibara looked at the locksmith.

“Maybe we should call the police.” Ayumi noted when her Detective Badge started beeping.

* * *

“Ai-chan?” Ran took the call when the detective agency's phone rang again. “It's you, Dad. A funeral?”

* * *

“Conan!” everyone else chorused.

“Where in the world are you?” Haibara demanded.

* * *

“Don't shout.” Conan sighed. “I don't know where I am, either. Apparently, I haven't been buried yet, though.”

* * *

“What does that mean?” Haibara hissed.

* * *

“Judging by the size, I must really be in a coffin.” Conan switched on the wristwatch flashlight. “Someone placed a board over stacks of cardboard, creating a false bottom. I'm in the small space underneath.”

* * *

“What?” the rest of the Detective Boys exclaimed in horror.

* * *

“What are you guys doing?” Conan asked, finding that he could not reach into the gap between the cardboard to pull a suitcase that was stuck in the gap.

* * *

“We followed the alleyway you entered to the rear entrance of a building.” Haibara answered.

* * *

“That's the place.” Conan grinned. “There was a burglary happening inside that building, and...” he was cut off when his surrounding started to move and he realized he was inside a hearse.

* * *

“What's wrong, Edogawa-kun?” Haibara shouted down the Detective Badge.

* * *

“It's a car.” Conan answered. “This coffin is inside a car. I'm inside a hearse. I smelled incense and felt the chill of dry ice, too. There's no mistaking it. This is a false bottom coffin. And somebody's body is above me.”

* * *

“Let's look for him right away.” Ayumi insisted.

“If he's in a hearse, we'll find him in no time.” Genta agreed.

“I'm not so sure about that.” Fumio remarked. “Nowadays, most hearses are ordinary sedans, instead of the old-fashioned hearses. Finding him won't to so easy. Haibara-san, call the police.”

* * *

“Wait, Fumio.” Conan cut in. “They need more information. There's a good chance that place was a funeral home, so...”

* * *

“Got it.” Haibara cut Conan off. “I'll look into it. Let's slit up and look for him.” she pulled out the crematoriums' information on her cellphone. “If a funeral just ended someplace...”

“I see.” Mitsuhiko realized. “Conan might be inside a hearse that just left.”

“But if that's true, then he's headed towards...” Ayumi gasped.

“Probably a crematorium.” Haibara concurred. “That's why we need to hurry.”

“Guys.” Ran arrived as the group were making calls to the crematoriums. “I was so worried.” she exited the taxi. “Where's Conan-kun?”

“We found him.” Fumio reported. “The problem is, he's in a hearse right now.”

“A hearse?” Ran echoed. “This place...” she saw the law firm sign.

“He hired the Sleeping Kogoro?” Mitsuhiko echoed after Ran informed them about Mouri's new job.

“The lawyer Asada?” Haibara asked.

“Yeah.” Ran nodded. “He came here early this morning.”

“Could it related to the robbery Conan described?” Mitsuhiko realized.

“Seems like it.” Haibara smirked.

“But he just called to say he might be attending the funeral with Asada-sensei.” Ran recalled. “He asked me to bring his mourning clothes just in case.”

“Is this the place?” Haibara showed Ran the address.

“Yeah, this funeral home.” Ran confirmed.

“Then, there's no time.” Fumio insisted and the group entered the waiting taxi.

* * *

“What?” Mouri echoed in shock after the Detective Boys informed him about what happened to Conan. “Conan's inside a coffin? And you're saying the will is inside, too?”

“That's what Conan said.” Fumio confirmed.

“He said it's inside a small paulownia wood box.” Ayumi supplied.

“That's it.” Asada Kimihiko remarked. “That's definitely it.”

“Dad, what about the funeral?” Ran asked.

“It just finished.” Mouri replied. “The hearse and his family left for the crematorium.”

“Excuse me.” wasting no time, Fumio hurried over to the reception counter.

“You mean the culprit means to incinerate the body and the will?” Mouri realized.

“Without the will, his fortune will be divided evenly among his children.” Asada stated.

“Then, who's the culprit?” Mouri mused.

“Apparently, there's only one hearse that left the funeral home today.” Fumio reported after querying the counter clerk. “I had them call the crematorium. The hearse should be getting there anytime now, bit it hasn't arrived yet.”

“Where are you right now, Edogawa-kun?” Haibara switched on her Detective Badge again.

* * *

“Where am I?” Conan echoed, using the cut glass from his broken hand-phone to cut the rope binding him. “I wish I knew. We stopped again. We've been stopping and moving slowly, at about one minute intervals.”

* * *

“Maybe they're late because they've stopped by places where the deceased has connections.” Asada reasoned. “From big businesses to small workshops, the chairman was a popular man.”

“Connections?” Mouri mused. “Like branches and business partners of the Karahashi Group? Check that out immediately. I'll head directly to the crematorium. If that's what they're doing, we can easily beat them there.” with Ran and the kids in tow, he hurried to the awaiting taxi. “Hello, Inspector.” he placed a call to Inspector Megure.

* * *

“We made it.” Mouri panted for breath as he ran into the crematorium.

“But something seems weird.” Ran noted.

“This is Asada.” Asada voiced from over Mouri's cellphone. “Mouri-san, the chairman's hearse has stopped at one of our branches. However, because of bad weekend traffic, they've decided to cancel the rest of the visits and head directly to the crematorium. They should be arriving soon.”

“Look at this.” Haibara indicated the signboard that informed guests about the cremation.

“The annex?” Ran blinked.

“That must it be.” Mitsuhiko pointed to the hall annex.

* * *

“Wait!” Mouri called out, just as the coffin was rolled into the cremation site.

“Stop the cremation?” Karahashi Kozo repeated after Mouri placed the order to stop the cremation.

“What are you talking about?” Karahashi Mitsuyo demanded.

“That detective doesn't have a clue.” Karahashi Eisuke scoffed.

“Conan-kun is inside.” Ran insisted. “There's a child inside that coffin.”

“Looks like you know what we're talking about.” Mouri stated, seeing the siblings' expressions.

“Impossible.” Kozo protested.

“Then, will you let us open the coffin?” Inspector Megure entered the scene. “We're with Section One of the Metropolitan Police Department.” he flashed his ID badge. “This is a potential kidnapping. Takagi, Chiba.”

“Excuse us.” with the coffin opened, both Takagi and Chiba set the body aside and tried to find the fake bottom.

“He's not here.” Takagi reported.

“In fact, this coffin doesn't have a false bottom.” Chiba corrected.

“What's going on, Mouri?” Inspector Megure questioned.

“But that shouldn't be.” Mouri was confused.

“Edogawa-kun?” using Fumio's back as a cover, Haibara called Conan over the Detective Badge. “Where are you, Edogawa-kun?”

* * *

“Haibara, can you hear me?” Conan shouted down the communicator after the hearse passed through a tunnel.

* * *

“What?” Mouri echoed as the kids returned to the taxi. “There's another hearse?”

“That's what Conan-kun said.” Ran nodded. “It was probably parked in the funeral home's underground parking lot.”

“Takagi.” Inspector Megure turned to his subordinate.

“Is this the funeral home?” Takagi placed the call. “Inspector, there really was a second hearse. It's an old-fashioned hearse they sent to be scrapped this morning. It was parked in the underground parking lot.”

“Where are they taking it?” Mouri asked.

“The person who arranged it wasn't working today.” Takagi answered.

“Ai-chan?” Ran took the call when her cellphone rang. “You're chasing down Conan-kun's hearse?”

* * *

“I see.” Conan noted, after Ayumi related the situation to him. “This one's scrap? We just turned right. Then left. Then straight. And another left.”

* * *

“Turn right, then left.” Ayumi repeated. “Go straight, then left again.”

“I see.” Haibara remarked. “The incense, dry ice and cardboard in the box was garbage too. You weren't trapped inside a coffin. And the stopping and going we thought was them making stops was...”

* * *

“The engine of the piece of junk hearse.” Conan concluded. “It was just a coincidence. And there was a reason for this. I'm starting to see what's going on. There were multiple culprits there.”

* * *

“I see.” Haibara realized the same thing. “That's why... but they all had alibis.”

* * *

“They probably...” Conan guessed that all three siblings had their phones off the receivers to give the illusion that they were talking on the phone. “And during that time...”

* * *

“They met at the crime scene.” Haibara finished.

* * *

“We stopped.” Conan reported. “It's a crosswalk.”

* * *

“After leaving the funeral home, they went through a tunnel.” Haibara was poring through the map on her cellphone. “Then right, left, left. After that, they hit a crosswalk.”

* * *

“We're moving.” Conan said. “We're at a train crossing now.”

* * *

“This must be it.” Haibara beamed. “I know where they're going.”

* * *

“They're headed for the Kuriniji Scrapyard.” Inspector Megure declared. “Hurry.”

* * *

“Conan-kun!” Ayumi hopped off the taxi, the group having arrived at the scrapyard.

“Could that be...” Fumio pointed to the hearse car in the compressor.

“Stop!” Mouri ran inside the scrapyard with Takagi right behind him. “Stop the press machine.”

“Stop the machine!” Takagi shouted, Murakami Yasuo immediately pressing the stop button.

“We were too late?” Inspector Megure was stunned as the headlights shattered under the pressure.

“Don't kill me so fast yet.” Conan chided, walking out from behind the compressor. “That was too close.” recalling how he had used the power-enhancing kick shoes to free himself.

“Where's the will?” Mouri reminded.

Taking the chance, Conan snuck behind the compressor and shot Mouri with the tranquilizing dart.

“Conan.” using the voice-changing bow-tie to replicate Mouri's voice, Conan presented the resolution with everyone present on the scene. “Here it is.” Conan walked out of his hiding place and handed the will to Asada.

“This is definitely it.” Asada confirmed. “This is the newest version of the will the chairman rewrote.”

“What a shame, Eisuke-san.” still mimicking Mouri's voice, Conan continued. “You stepped on some gum, didn't you?” he ran out from behind the wall. “The smell and stickiness is all over my phone.”

“Kozo-san and Mitsuyo-san.” using Mouri's voice, Conan added. “You were there, too. You counted on us to assume that siblings who hated each other wouldn't verify each other's alibis using a classic trick.”

“What about the proof?” Kozo demanded.

“Inspector, please inspect the will for fingerprints.” Conan requested. “If I'm correct, in addition to the deceased's, Asada-sensei's and Conan-kun's, you'll find their fingerprints as well.”

“Is that true?” Inspector Megure questioned.

“Since they planned to dispose of or rewrite the will, they touched it with their bare hands.” Conan continued. “They wanted to confirm its contents as soon as possible. Am I wrong? The three of you likely colluded on the condition that the fortune be split evenly or be rewritten in your favor. You hid the will in an unused hearse along with Conan who you planned to eventually release without realizing it was being scrapped today.”

“It's our father's fault.” Kozo hissed.

“You can't be serious.” Mitsuyo snorted. “I can't believe he's leaving his fortune to his secretary... no, his lover!”

“You can't expect us to allow that.” Eisuke glared.

“You put a child's... Conan-kun's life in danger over that?” Ran snapped. “You're the ones who have done something unforgivable!”


	47. The Marriage Registration's Password, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Some timer later...

“Huh?” Mitsuhiko blinked, the Detective Boys spotted Sato and Yumi in front of the garbage disposal center of Yumi's apartment.

“It's Detective Sato and the patrol lady.” Genta recognized.

“What are you doing?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“Are you on case?” Ayumi inquired.

“Yeah.” Sato replied. “Yumi threw out something important with the garbage.”

“You must be stupid.” Genta scolded. “You shouldn't throw it away if it was so important.”

“It was a mistake.” Yumi defended.

“You accidentally put it in the garbage?” Fumio deathpanned.

“It was stuck in a fashion magazine.” Yumi explained. “I bundled it up with some other magazines and threw it out.”

“But apparently, they don't collect recyclables today.” Conan looked at the disposal schedule.

“You're as negligent as ever.” Sato chided.

“You're one to talk.” Yumi fired back.

“But if that bundle of magazines isn't here, then the building manager might be keeping them somewhere else.” Conan reasoned. “If he identified it as your garbage, it might be in front of your apartment.”

* * *

“It's here!” Yumi gushed, finding the stack of magazines by her doorstep.

“You've got a responsible apartment manager.” Sato noted as Yumi hurried to untie the magazines. “He even left a note telling you that recycling is on Tuesday.”

“I'm pretty sure I left it in here...” Yumi took a magazine and started flipping through it.

“I'm surprised the manager knew it was Yumi's garbage.” Mitsuhiko noted.

“If he's been working here for a while, he probably knows which magazines his residents buy.” Conan stated. “Yumi-san's probably the only one who gets a mix of fashion and mahjong magazines.”

“It's not here!” Yumi exclaimed. “I can't find it anywhere.”

“By the way, what are you looking for anyway?” Fumio asked.

“A hundred million yen!” Yumi snapped.

“Yumi left an important envelope inside a fashion magazine as a bookmark.” Sato explained.

“You mean an envelope containing a marriage registration.” Haibara remarked.

“Probably.” Sato laughed nervously. _Even the kids figured it out._

“Was there anything written on the envelope?” Conan inquired.

“The word 'seal' was written along the opening on the back and his name was written on the front.” Yumi replied.

“Then, some woman may have picked it up, written her name in the wife field, and submitted it to the ward office.” Mitsuhiko gasped.

“I won't hesitate too, if it meant marrying Master Taiko.” Haibara shrugged. “I'm joking.” seeing Yumi's startled expression.

“Haibara-san, don't bully Yumi-san like that.” Fumio chided.

“In any case, let's go talk to the manager.” Conan suggested. “He may be holding on to it if it's important.”

* * *

“Excuse me.” Yumi spoke into the apartment manager's intercom. “It's Miyamoto from Room 308. I have a question about the garbage.”

“Give me a minute.” Hachitsuka Koroku answered his door. “You've finally arrived, Cha-cha.”

“Cha-cha?” Genta echoed.

“I told you to stop calling me that.” Yumi rebuked. “It's annoying.”

“Yumi, what's Cha-cha?” Sato wondered.

“I don't know.” Yumi admitted. “When Chukichi came here before to hang out, we ran into the manager. He started calling me Cha-cha after that.”

“You're no different from that evil woman who stole Taiko's spine.” Hachitsuka retorted.

“Oji-san, do you like Shogi?” Fumio asked.

“I thought I was as good as a professional.” Hachitsuka admitted. “But he taught me a lesson. Ten years ago, I heard a middle school aged pro was coming to an event being held at a department store. I thought I'd beat that kid good. Instead, I suffered a thorough defeat at his hands. I fell in love with his style. I'm a huge fan of Master Taiko now. Each time he won a title, I was as pleased as though I won it myself. I was living a carefree life. Until this Cha-cha arrested me anyway.”

“This old man used to be a pickpocket.” Yumi related. “I caught him trying to steal my wallet on a train and sen him to jail. But he said he couldn't find a job once he finished his sentence, so I helped him get a job managing the building here. More importantly, where's the envelope that was stuck in the magazines I put out this morning?”

“You mean this?” Hachitsuka showed her the photo he had taken of the marriage registration form using his phone camera.

“Did you look inside the envelope?” Yumi glared.

“Why do you care?” Hachitsuka snorted. “You threw it out with the trash.”

“That's good news, though.” Sato noted. “It really was a marriage registration form.”

“Give me back my registration form.” Yumi demanded.

“Now where did I put it?” Hachitsuka wondered. “I thought I put it in my bedroom, but I've been so forgetful lately.”

“Move!” Yumi pushed her way in. “I'm going to look for it. It's not on the desk or in any of the drawers.” she remarked, searching the work desk.

“That's strange.” Hachitsuka taunted. “I'm sure it's inside this room... if it isn't Mizuno Fumio?” he adjusted his glasses and peered closer at Fumio.

“Oji-san?” Fumio blinked in confusion.

“You were too young to remember.” Hachitsuka chuckled. “But I once played Shogi against your kaa-san and she trounced me really good; you were about two years old at that time. I see, the two of you have returned to Japan.”

“I'm sure he'll give it back once we find it.” Sato stepped forward.

“You don't have that much time.” Hachitsuka reminded. “He wrote that his profession was 'Shogi Master, Seven Crowns' on the form. He must've written that with great resolution and determination. But Master Taiko is currently struggling in the championship match. It's probably because of the registration form. He mentioned it in a magazine interview that he couldn't think of Shogi right now, since he still hadn't received a response from the person dearest to him. If Taiko loses the championship match, this marriage registration with 'Seven Crowns' written on it will become invalid.”

“Then call him right now to tell him you want to get married.” Sato urged.

“You can't.” Fumio cut in. “Masters can't keep their phones on them during a match.”

“Fumio is right.” Hachitsuka agreed. “The only time you'd be able to see him is during his lunch break. If you appear holding the marriage registration form, he'd defeat all enemies with the strength of a million men. There's about an hour left before lunch.” he looked at his watch. “Then show me your resolve: the resolve to stand by Master Taiko's side, no matter what happens. If you're desperate enough, you'll be able to find an envelope or two.”

“Isn't this it?” Conan voiced from the laptop. “It says to enter the eight digit password.”

“Indeed.” Fumio looked over Conan's shoulder. “It even says it has to be entered by Yodogimi.”

“Yodogimi?” Ayumi echoed.

“Taiko Hideyoshi's wife, also known as Cha-cha.” Haibara supplied.

“But what's the password?” Mitsuhiko wondered.

“Won't we get it right eventually if we just enter a bunch of random numbers?” Genta suggested.

“We can't.” Conan cut in. “Only Yumi-san is allowed to enter the password and it says no mistakes are allowed. Apparently, it locks up if you get it wrong even once.”

“Then, what are we supposed to do?” Mitsuhiko inquired.

“It's simple.” Fumio smiled. “If we can find the eight digit number hidden somewhere in this room and get Yumi-san to enter the password into the computer, then we'll know where the envelope is. Isn't that right, oji-san?”

“Now that we know what to do, let's split up and look for it.” Conan hopped off the chair.

“Genta, don't flip over the garbage can.” Ayumi chided, seeing Genta turn the trash bin over.

“But we don't know where it's hidden.” Genta remarked, shaking the bin and causing a piece of paper with squishy drawing to fall out. “There was a weird piece of paper in the trash.”

* * *

“Wait a minute.” Yumi whined after Genta handed the paper over. “What is this? I don't get it.”

“But it looks like what's written on that paper is some kind of code and we'll find an eight digit number once we solve it.” Sato noted.

“You'll probably will be fine.” Haibara assured. “That code looks a lot like the 'Dancing Men' code from Sherlock Holmes. The two Sherlocks looking at the photo they took of the code have probably already solved...”

“Not even you two can solve it?” Mitsuhiko peered over the photo as Conan and Fumio antagonized over the photo.

“Wait, don't some of them look like numbers if you cover part of them?” Fumio pointed out.

“If you hide this part, this looks like one.” Ayumi covered a figure with her finger.

“But what are we supposed to hide them with?” Genta wondered.

“I know.” Mitsuhiko spotted the Shogi board on the floor. “It's Shogi pieces.” “If we put Shogi pieces in the right places on top of the paper, we might find the eight digit number.”

“Now that's settled, let's solve this code together.” Yumi sat by the Shogi board and opened the Shogi piece box. “It's not that they don't look like numbers, but it doesn't seem right.” she moaned, after trying for a while. “I don't know which numbers to start with either.”

“Maybe the code can't be solved with only that sheet of paper.” Conan surmised. “Maybe there's a second code sheet the creates an eight digit number when you overlap them. Or maybe it reveals a sentence that's a clue to the code.”

“So, we should look for a second sheet, right?” Yumi asked. “Let's search the room again. Searching for something reminds me of that time, though.” she recalled, the group redoubling their efforts. “When we went bamboo shoot hunting; when I went to hang out at Chukichi's apartment, he was panicking because he couldn't find an important fan, so I found it for him.”

“How is that bamboo shoot hunting?” Sato wondered.

“Fan are made of bamboo.” Yumi stated. “And the fan was stuck in a pen holder. Only the tip was visible. So I told Chukichi he couldn't find it because he was looking for a fan. If you imagine you're looking for something that's mostly hidden, it's easier to find. All you can see of bamboo shoots are the tip since most of it's hidden in the dirt. I'm the one who stuck the fan I found on his desk in the pen holder while he was in the bathroom, though.”


	48. The Marriage Registration's Password, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“Oh, right.” Sato recalled. “Miike told me you drove one of the MPD's patrol cars all the way to Yamanashi.”

“Yeah.” Yumi confirmed. “Chukichi said he was going to be late to some kind of match. Now that I think of it, it might've been a Shogi match. Have you heard of the Tokiwa Hotel?”

“No.” Sato admitted.

“Anyway, we made it to the hotel, but Chukichi was panicking because I lost a photo of me that he kept as a good luck charm.” Yumi related. “So I sent him off with a kiss.”

* * *

“Anyway, don't you think it's cold in here?” Haibara wondered, as Conan and Fumio continued agonizing over the code.

“Could you turn on the hear, Hachitsuka-oji-san?” Fumio requested.

“I wish I could.” Hachitsuka replied. “But the cooling and heating unit has been broken since yesterday. It doesn't work. Sorry, Fumio-kun, but you'll have to endure the cold.”

“Did you come up with this code?” Yumi wondered.

“Yeah, I did.” Hachitsuka replied. “Why don't you think so?”

“Because this isn't the original.” Yumi replied. “It's a photocopy. I'm saying you probably copied a code someone else wrote down somewhere.”

“I guarantee you I wrote that code.” Hachitsuka snorted. “I only copied it because I felt like it.”

“If you made the code, at least give us a hint.” Yumi pressed.

“Even without a hint, if you're prepared to marry Master Taiko, you should be able to solve the code quickly.” Hachitsuka scoffed. “If you're prepared to be a true married couple, that is.”

_A married couple?_ Conan was stuck by the statement. _Wait a minute, that code was in the trash can, wasn't it? Then if we fold that paper into that shape..._ “Fumio, lend me your ear.” he gestured the blond boy closer and whispered something into Fumio's ear.

“Yumi-san, let us borrow that.” Fumio snatched the paper away and started working on the paper, folding it into a paper crane.

“That's amazing.” Sato gushed after Fumio completed the paper construction. “It spells something. Yumi, enter the eight digit password.” she told Yumi after Fumio slid off the chair.

“Those aren't numbers.” Ayumi pointed out.

“It's katakana.” Mitsuhiko stated.

“It's okay.” Haibara assured. “Most adults could decipher an eight digit code from that.”

“And the code Fumio-kun showed wasn't the only one.” Conan added. “There's a pair.”

“Ai-chan was right.” Ayumi gaped when Yumi just entered the eight number password. “Yumi-san entered an eight digit number without hesitating.”

“But the code was written in katakana.” Genta noted.

“Why did those characters appear when you folded the code sheet?” Mitsuhiko wondered. “You didn't get any hints.”

“We did get hints.” Conan corrected. “The fact that he went out of his way to copy the code sheet and that the sheet was in the trash can were hints.”

“Copied?” Mitsuhiko echoed.

“What would have been obvious if he hadn't made a copy?” Conan questioned.

“Like a sketch or whiteout?” Haibara suggested.

“Then, take this sheet I just folded.” Fumio showed the other three unfolded paper. “What disappears when a copy is made?”

“It's the ceases.” Ayumi exclaimed.

“That's right.” Conan confirmed. “If there were ceases on the paper, we would've known right away how to fold the sheet.”

“But how were we supposed to know how to fold it without them?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“That's why the sheet was inside the trash can.” Conan replied.

“It's an old expression.” Fumio started.

“'A crane in the junk heap'.” Haibara quoted. “It refers to someone exceptionally talented or beautiful mixed in with a group of unexceptional people.”

A junk heap is a place where you dispose your garbage.” Conan explained. “Since this code was in the trash can, it means we should fold the code sheet into a crane.”

“If you fold the crane with the code facing up...” Fumio used the Shogi board as a work-table and refolded the paper. “As you can see,” he held up the paper crane. “It spells the words 'root' and 'five'.”

“Root five is the number you square to get five is called the square root of five or root five.” Conan explained. “Most middle and high school students are made to memorize the first eight digits.”

“Enter another eight digit number?” Yumi exclaimed when the entered password brought her to another password-required screen. “You meant root five isn't the only password?”

“It's okay.” Conan assured. “We'll just fold another crane out of the code sheet. The old man gave us another hint when he mentioned married couples. Start by folding it back to this shape with the small overlapping squares.” he took the crane from Fumio's hands. “Fold like part like so. Then, you just have to fold a crane again. It should reveal a different word like root five.”

“It's not katakana this time.” Ayumi blinked, seeing the weird symbols on both sides of the crane.

“The symbol on top of the circle is the square root symbol, though.” Fumio pointed. “I think we just need to figure out the number that goes inside the circle.”

“But our hint is this strange drawing.” Conan sweatdropped.

“Maybe it's a nine.” Genta suggested. “If the circle's on top is the moon and the thing underneath is a sake cup, then it could signify moon viewing, right?”

“But the square root of nine is three.” Haibara stated. “It's not eight digits.”

“My dad always says he wants to enjoy a drink while gazing at the moon.” Genta pouted.

_I see._ Conan grinned. _That's it._

“Sonant marks?” Mitsuhiko echoed after Conan explained. “These two dots on the upper right side of the cup are sonant marks?”

“But how does that help you determine the number that goes inside the circle?” Ayumi asked.

“Then, try counting up from one.” Fumio suggested. “How do you count fingers?”

“Ippon, nihon, sanbon, yonhon...” Ayumi recited.

“How about mice?” Fumio turned to Genta.

“Ippiki, nihiki, sanbiki, yonhiki...” Genta counted.

“How about beverages?” the question was directed at Mitsuhiko.

“Ippai, nihai, sanbai, yonhai...” Mitsuhiko counted.

“You've figured it out by now, right?” Conan smiled. “When counting objects, which number uses sonant marks?”

“It's three.” the other three chorused.

“Apparently, you're supposed to enter root three.” Haibara told the two female officers.

“What is this?” Yumi stammered when the screen shimmered to reveal the her live image. “The screen just switched to showing what's being captured by the camera on top of the computer. Where's the envelope?”

“Look closely.” Hachitsuka snorted.

“The envelope's in my coat pocket.” Yumi gasped, spotting the envelope tucked inside her coat.

“I see.” Sato realized what Hachitsuka had done. “When Yumi ran into you in the entryway, you used your pick-pocketing skills to hide the envelope in Yumi's breast pocket.”

“Chukichi's marriage registration is mine.” Yumi beamed, pulling out the unfilled registration form.

“The championship match is taking place at the Jinya Inn in Kanagawa.” Sato referred to the internet news using her phone. “They break for lunch until 1:30, so...”

“I can make it in time if I rush there in a taxi.” Yumi grinned. “Someone's calling.” she blinked. “It's Chukichi.” she recognized the Caller ID. “Chukichi?” she took the call. “I thought you couldn't use your phone right now.”

* * *

“It's all right.” Haneda assured. “The match is already over. You can throw away the envelope. It's meaningless now.”

* * *

“Oh no!” Mitsuhiko exclaimed, as the news bulletin came in on his phone. “They're reporting online that Master Taiko lost the match.”

“Let me see.” Sato took the phone. “'Evidently, troubled by something else, Master Taiko made one poor play after another and lost before lunch.'” she read the newsflash. “Apparently, it's true.”

“But, Chukichi...” Yumi started.

* * *

“Stick to the plan.” Haneda insisted. “It was the motto of my brother-in-law, the respectable Shogi player, Haneda Koji. I'm sorry, Yumi-san. Men don't like to go back on their word.”

* * *

“Really?” Yumi muttered and tore the envelope and the registration form into shreds. “I don't know what you put inside this envelope, but if you've got something to say to me, say it to my face. If you ever get your seven or eight whatevers and become a champion again, I'll hear what you have to say. So, don't let anyone beat you until then, you balding mouse!”

“Yumi, that was awesome.” Sato applauded.

“I thought she was Cha-cha, but she was Nene after all.” Hachitsuka gaped. “I can see she wears the pants in their relationship.”

“Don't you mean Nobunaga, Hachitsuka-oji-san?” Fumio sweatdropped. “I sure hope tou-san and kaa-san aren't as dramatic as these two.”


	49. The Dark Mountain Route

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“Wow!” Genta gushed, witnessing Ikeguchi Eiko scaling up the side of a cliff, the Detective Boys, alongside with Professor Agasa, were heading to the mountains on a camping trip. “She's climbing up that cliff.”

“There's a river on this side.” Conan peered over the railing. “Someone's kayaking down it.”

“Let's hurry up and go.” Mitsuhiko urged.

“Aren't you going to take a panoramic shot of the city for your science project?” Professor Agasa reminded. “Now, let's go.”

* * *

“That's enough!” Ashizuka Tokunori snapped. “Why do you always act like this?” you show up late and demand we cook for you.

“Shut up.” Yamakura Takemi retorted, uncaringly. “Who cares? Eiko-san said she'd cook for me.”

“Yeah, I said I would.” Ikeguchi confirmed.

“That's irrelevant.” Ashizuka fired back. “Takemi, you always do this.”

“Calm own, Ashizuka-san.” Hayashida Taro came between both arguing parties, trying to diffuse the situation.

“No, I'm going to let her have it.” Ashizuka stood firm. “She's always inconveniencing the group with her selfishness.”

“You're right.” Yamakura shrugged. “That's why Motoki-san is dead, too.”

“You're wrong.” Hayashida assured. “That's an accident.”

“I'm not so sure.” Yamakura glared. “You think what happened three years ago is my fault, don't you?”

“Wait, Takemi-san.” Ikeguchi tried to stop Yamakura from leaving. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything.”

Ignoring her, Yamakura walked past the kids and went down the mountain trail.

* * *

“Apparently, she's sleeping at the bottom of the cliff tonight.” Haibara espied on Yamakura who had taken up a resting spot underneath the group's camping site.

“It seemed like they really hate each other.” Genta noted, Professor Agasa was stirring the pot of curry on the portable stove and Fumio was frying up onions on the other cooktop.

“I'm sure they have their reasons.” Professor Agasa hushed the overweight boy.

“Sorry, guys.” Hayashida apologized, bringing in a helium gas tank. “I'm sorry you have to see that.”

“Hey, what's the accident that happened three years ago?” Conan asked.

“We were part of the same club.” Ikeguchi explained. “Three years ago, one of our members had an accident.”

“Takemi ran off by herself.” Ashizuka added. “When Motoki went after her, he fell from the top of the cliff. Motoki was my childhood friend. We'd climbed several mountains together. We were going to keep climbing, too. But because of Takemi...” he slammed a furious fist on the table.

“So, we get together every year to commemorate his death.” Hayashida remarked.

“What's that sound?” Genta blinked, hearing the sound of a balloon filling up.

“Could it be?” Mitsuhiko beamed, the kids gathering around the pumped up weather balloon. “That's a research balloon, right?”

“Yeah.” Hayashida nodded. “I'm sending it up to the stratosphere to collect meteorological data.”

“Hayashida-san, you're a weather station employee, right?” Conan guessed.

“That's right.” Hayashida confirmed. “For the next ten days, I'm going to be sending up my balloon every day. I brought enough for the job.”

“Something smells weird.” Ayumi sniffed.

“Yeah.” Hayashida explained. “Each time we increase the power, it's coated with kerosene. Done.” he cut off the helium.

“Wow.” Genta gushed. “Couldn't you use one of those to fly up to the peak?”

“That's impossible.” Mitsuhiko replied. “A single balloon can only carry five or six kilograms at most.”

“There.” Hayashida let his research balloon loose.

* * *

The next day...

“We're leaving as soon as we finish breakfast.” Mitsuhiko declared, Fumio was already at the stove, frying up four sunny-side-up eggs. “To the peak!” he was cut off by Genta's horrified shout.

“What's wrong, Genta?” Conan hurried over.

“That.” Genta pointed down.

“Takemi-san is on the ground.” Conan informed the mountain-climbing group after using the binoculars to ascertain what Genta had seen.

* * *

“Over there!” Hayashida shouted, as he, Ashizuka and Conan hurried over to the site where Yamakura had collapsed. “Takemi!”

“She's dead.” Conan informed, feeling for a pulse. “Look at this.” he pointed to the compass on the ground beside Yamakura.

“That's her hiking compass.” Ashizuka explained.

* * *

Some time later...

“Is that a drone?” Mitsuhiko gushed, Inspector Megure's team was called to the crime scene and Takagi was using the remote control to drive the helicopter drone.

“Yeah.” Takagi replied. “We're using it to search the mountains.”

“Are the three of you the late Yamakura Takemi-san's acquaintances?” Inspector Megure began the questioning. “We found a backpack in the forest three kilometers from the crime scene. We'd like you to confirm if it belonged to Yamakura-san.”

“That's definitely it.” Ikeguchi confirmed, once the forensic personnel showed he a red backpack. “It's Takemi-san's.”

“I see.” Inspector Megure noted. “Inside were the knife we believe is the murder weapon and an empty wallet.”

“The killer must've abandoned it.” Ashizuka concluded.

“Then, the killer fled down the mountain after killing Takemi-san at the bottom.” Hayashida reasoned.

“Well, actually...” Inspector Megure started and cast a look at Takagi.

“According to the mountain guard, he's been in the cottage at the entrance to the foot of the mountain since about 4 am, but no one suspicious left the mountain .” Takagi stated.

“Someone may have left the bag in the forest to make it as though an outsider killed her.” Inspector Megure expressed.

“Which means one of us did it.” Hayashida realized.

“Wait.” Ashizuka protested. “We couldn't have done it. Takemi was live until 3am. You were there, too.” he looked at Conan.

“Yeah.” Conan nodded. “That's when Eiko-san called her on the phone.”

“The body was found around 5am.” Ashizuka argued. “In other words, the crime was committed during those two hours.” he spread out a map of the mountains. “But no matter how much you hurry, it takes about forty to fifty minutes to take the path down to the crime scene.”

“That's about how long it took when we went.” Conan concurred.

“Killing Takemi-san and leaving the bag in the forest, three kilo away would add another thirty or forty minutes.” Professor Agasa added.

“And since the return trip is uphill, it will take more than sixty minutes.” Fumio concluded. “All in all, that's more than 120 minutes. Therefore, it couldn't be done within two hours.”

“And they were sleeping in the cottage with us.” Mitsuhiko supplied.

“Eiko-san was sleeping with me.” Ayumi clarified.

“Eiko and I couldn't have done it.” Ashizuka reasoned. “But, Hayashida, you...”

“I was surveying another mountain.” Hayashida defended.

“I see.” Inspector Megure noted. “Could we ask you a few questions about the late Yamakura-san?”

* * *

“If one of them is the killer, that means they snuck out of the cottage, went to the crime scene and forest and returned within two hours.” Mitsuhiko went into pondering mode after the police led the three adults into the cottage. “However, that's actually not possible. But what if they climbed? Instead of taking the mountain path, if they climbed straight up and down the cliff, they could've done it within two hours.”

“Eiko-san was climbing yesterday.” Genta noted.

“No, that cliff was fifty meters tall.” Conan shot down Mitsuhiko's theory. “Even an expert would take an hour one way.”

“Then, they used the river.” Ayumi proposed. “Ashizuka-san was kayaking, right? If he rode down the rapids in the river next to this field...”

“And how would he return?” Fumio posted the damning question. “He couldn't have kayaked up the river, not to mention, he'll also need time to bring it back.”

“They used the sky.” Genta declared. “The balloon. He flew through the air like a bird to reach the crime scene and the forest.”

“Since the wind was blowing south to north, a balloon would get you there.” Conan conceded.

“But a single balloon can barely carry five or six kilograms.” Mitsuhiko pointed out. “A person couldn't have used them to fly.”

“That's why he inflated all of them.” Genta concluded.

“Hayashida-san did say he had enough balloon for ten days.” Fumio recalled. “And he has nine of them left now. But it would still be difficult even he used all his balloons.”

“It's dislodged.” Conan walked to the back of the cottage and spotted the displaced wooden plank that was part of the wall. “Mud?” he hurried over to the discarded helium tank and sampled the patch of dirt on the bottom of the gas tank with his fingers. “This is it.” he hurried behind the shed and found a indented spot underneath a nearby tree. “Rope marks?” he looked up and saw the telltale marks on a tree branch.

“Conan-kun.” Ayumi called, walking towards the thinking detective with Haibara. “What's wrong?”

“What's this?” Conan plucked a flower fluff from Ayumi's sweater.

“Wait, Edogawa-kun.” Haibara was on her I-pad. “The fluff...”

“There's something going on at the cottage.” Fumio informed.

* * *

“Balloons... kerosene... wool...” Conan was in deep thought as the others eavesdropped on the interrogation inside the cottage.

“There's something bothering you, right?” Fumio recognized their leader's deep thought mode.

_Could it be..._ inspiration stuck Conan when he witnessed a hawk swooping down from the sky. “Detective Takagi. Stop it there.” he instructed, having Takagi operate the drone. “I knew it.” he realized what happened as the image projected by the drone's camera showed on the remote control's screen. _So that's how it is._

* * *

“Wait a minute, Inspector.” using Professor Agasa's voice, Conan presented the case's conclusion. “There are a few things I'm wondering about. Hayashida-san, did you wipe your hands and body thoroughly yesterday?”

“I did.” Hayashida replied.

“That's why you don't smell of kerosene.” Conan noted “Kerosene is used to increase the strength of rubber balloons. If anyone used the balloons, the smell will remain on them.”

“Couldn't he have wiped his hands immediately after committing the crime?” Inspector Megure asked.

“Even if Hayashida-san did it, he barely had two hours.” Conan reasoned. “Did he have that kind of time?”

“You mean someone else is the killer?” Inspector Megure blinked.

“That's what that would mean.” Conan agreed. “There's something I'd like all of you to see. This.” he showed the group the dislodged plank from the cottage wall. “This plank is designed to come off. There's something else. Detective Takagi, could you search the shed behind me for balloons?”

“There's three left.” Takagi reported,

“Hayashida-san, how many balloons are supposed to be there?” Conan inquired.

“Nine.” Hayashida replied.

“So, six are missing.” Conan noted. “The killer used those balloons. The killer left the cottage before 3am when everyone had fallen asleep and prepared six of the balloons.”

“But inflating them made a lot of noise.” Genta pointed out.

“That's why they had to move away from the cottage.” Conan explained. “I found evidence of their activities. After 3am, they offered a silent prayer to Motoki-san, waited for everyone to fall asleep, left the cottage, retrieved the six balloons they had prepared and leaped from the top of the cliff.”

“That's impossible.” Hayashida objected. “Only six balloons aren't enough for a person to fly.”

“You're right.” Conan agreed. “But that's the key to this trick. They won't make a person fly, but it's enough to reduce their falling speed, like a bird spreading their wings to decelerate. They reduced their speed by landing on the rocks partway down the cliff, before jumping the rest of the way down. They reached the crime scene quickly this way.”

“That's ridiculous.” Ashizuka laughed. “They couldn't have done that.”

“Look at this.” Haibara showed them the photo taken by the drone camera. “It's a photo of the rocks in the middle of the cliff. There are some strange footprints pointing towards the edge.”

“Wait.” Hayashida voiced. “With only six balloons, it would've have to have been someone extremely light to...”

“That's right.” Conan confirmed. “Ikeguchi Eiko-san, you killed her.”

“You're wrong.” Ayumi was immediate to protest. “It isn't her.”

“No.” Conan assured. “After reaching the bottom of the cliff, you released five of the six balloons. The balloons floated north on the wind to the lake, where no one would find them. You deflated the remaining balloon, cut it and kept it with you. You killed Takemi-san, left Motoki-san's compass at the crime scene and headed north with Takemi-san's bag and wallet. At the forest three kilometers away, you left the bag and beyond that, you left the deflated balloon. Once you returned, you put the surveying equipment with Takemi-san's blood in Hayashida-san's bag.”

“You're wrong.” Ikeguchi insisted. “I didn't do it.”

“Onee-san, you smell like kerosene.” Fumio took a whiff of Ikeguchi. “Now that I think of it, there was meaning behind all your actions. You instigated the fight and called her phone, just so Takemi-san would head to the bottom of the cliff and you could confirm she was alive at 3am.”

“Don't be stupid.” Ikeguchi argued. “I was sleeping with Ayumi-chan when she was killed.”

“You planned that, too.” Haibara cut in. “You wanted Yoshida-san to confirm your alibi.”

“I've had enough.” Ikeguchi snapped. “I didn't kill her and I didn't go to the forest.”

“We found this, too.” Haibara produced the flower fluff that was stuck on Ayumi's sweater. “It's a species of horse thistle. Around here, it only grows in that forest. It was Yoshida-san's sweater. It probably came from you while you were sleeping together.

“See?” Fumio squatted down to reveal the horse thistle flowers stuck around Ikeguchi's shoes. “You did go to the forest. After going to the forest, you came to right below here. All you had to do is return. But since using the mountain path could leave more evidence, you began climbing back up the cliff. But you were in such a hurry, you made a mistake right at the end.”

“This is blood.” Inspector Megure looked closer at the stained rock in front of them.

“Excuse me.” on cue, Takagi pried Ikeguchi's hand open to reveal a wound on her palm and string marks around her arms. “This mark must have been left by the balloons' rope.”

“Eiko, why did you kill her?” Ashizuka asked.

“Motoki-san and I were secretly dating.” Ikeguchi confessed. “I couldn't forgive Takemi-san for forcing him into that accident.”

“But why would you frame Hayashida?” Ashizuka pressed.

“Hayashida-san, you knew about us.” Ikeguchi turned to the bespectacled male. “You were always jealous. That's why you didn't tell Motoki-san he was heading towards a dangerous cliff.” with that, she broke down weeping.


	50. The Foul-Mouthed Myna Bird

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“Call the police!” Kokubo Mamoru stumbled out of Kokubo Naoko's house and interrupting the Detective Boys' soccer practice.

* * *

“Apparently, that man was Kokubo-san's nephew.” Mitsuhiko reported back.

“She was always getting mad at him for asking for money.” Genta added.

“I can't believe the old woman who smiled no matter how much noise we made is dead.” Mitsuhiko sighed.

* * *

“When did he find her?” Inspector Megure inquired, as he and Takagi surveyed the house.

“13:55.” Takagi referred to his notes.

“That's rather accurate.” Inspector Megure blinked. “Is that what he said?”

“No, the children saw him.” Takagi replied.

“Children? Inspector Megure echoed. “Don't tell me...”

“You shouldn't underestimate children.” Genta chided, the police officer guarding the door having let them in.

“As you can see, Inspector.” Takagi stated.

“I knew it.” Inspector Megure sighed.

“Nine escaped.” Conan spotted the empty cage that had toppled over.

“You know about the myna bird, too?” Inspector Megure was surprised.

“Nine was quite famous for a mischievous bird.” Fumio supplied.

“Uh oh.” Genta spotted the open window. “It's probably my fault that the window is open.”

“I see.” Inspector Megure noted. “The myna bird escaped through there.”

“We were playing in the park across in front of the house.” Conan related.

“Apparently, no one left or entered after Yahagi Emi-san.” Takagi added.

* * *

  
“It's Kogoro-ojisan.” Conan blinked, seeing the just-arrived Kogoro.

“What are you kids doing here?” Kogoro asked.

“Sayama-san?” Yahagi stood up from the chair, she was being interrogated on, seeing Sayama Yotaro. “The missus is furious that you sold her a forgery.”

“Who are you?” Inspector Megure looked at the newcomer.

“A used book seller named Sayama-san.” Kogoro introduced. “We met at the hospital. I brought him because he seemed to know the victim.”

“Despite what he says, he just wants to stick his nose into the case.” Ran remarked, taking a seat beside the Detective Boys.

“But it looks like he was right to bring the old man.” Conan noted.

* * *

“This missus collected rare old books.” Yahagi explained. “But the book she bought from Sayama-san was...”

“It fooled me, too.” Sayama protested. “I meant to tell her the truth right away.”

“But you haven't returned her money, right?” Yahagi pressed. “I overheard her before I went out.”

“I can't raise the money with this kind of injury.” Sayama argued, showing his arm that was cast in a sling.

“I don't care about your excuses.” Yahagi cut in. “Does this mean you can't return the money?”

“You're just as angry with the mistress, Emi-chan.” Sayama pointed out.

“Inspector, I have a report from forensics.” Takagi reported. “They found strangulation marks on the victim's neck. The weapon was the white stole the victim had wrapped around her neck. The time of death was between 12:55 and 13:55.”

“No, the actual murder occurred between 13:35 and 13:55.” Inspector Megure corrected.

* * *

“I'm going to the bathroom.” Conan hopped off the sofa.

* * *

“Sayama-san was seen speaking over his cellphone at Midoridai Station at 12:55.” Takagi reported, both police officers having entered the victim's office.

“It matches Yahagi-san's story.” Inspector Megure noted. “How far is it to the station from here?”

“Since he doesn't seem to have taken a taxi, it's about a forty-five minute walk.” Takagi replied.

* * *

“What kind of party is this?” Haibara wondered, entering the house with Ayumi and Nine in the latter's arms.

“You're those girls.” Yahagi recognized the two girls. “You have Nine with you.”

“Since he's famous, we recognized him right away.” Ayumi handed the bird over.

* * *

“They all have alibis?” Inspector Megure sighed in resignation, upon returning to the living room.

“Why don't you hang yourselves with noodles?” Nine chirped, flying around. “Go hit your head with some tofu.” he landed on Kogoro's head.

“Why does Nine insult everyone?” Haibara wondered, watching the myna bird landed on railing on the second story.

“He was quiet earlier.” Ran noted.

“He's quite smart and likes people.” Fumio explained. “But it's unbelievable that he was only taught insults.”

“Maybe it's the missus' influence.” Yahagi suggested. “After being betrayed by someone she trusted, she couldn't trust anyone anymore. She said all compliments were lies, and only insults are accurate.”

“You mean when Kokubo-san plagiarized her mentor.” Sayama noted. “But according to insiders, it was the other way around.”

“It wasn't the missus that committed the plagiarism.” Yahagi objected. “Her mentor had writer's block. But the media sided with the major writer and wouldn't listen to the missus.”

“People are blind.” Nine chirped from his perch.

“That flowerpot...” Yahagi got up from the armchair and walked to the hallway. “Mamoru-san, did you bring this inside?” she lifted the pot.

“No, it wasn't me.” the younger Kokubo replied from the living room door.

“How much trouble did the old woman have walking?” Conan asked.

“I think she said she could barely use a wheelchair.” Mamoru recalled.

“I can't stand the stench.” Nine chirped, hovering over Kogoro. “It stinks. I want eel.” he swooped down. “I'm hungry.” he took to the air again.

“He copied me.” Genta muttered, facefaulting.

“By the way, what's the band for?” Ran asked, Nine landing on Yahagi's arm and the maid slipped the band back on the myna bird's foot.

“The missus put it on him this morning, so he'd be easily identifiable if he escaped again.” Yahagi explained.

“It certainly is eye-catching.” Ran agreed. “Sayama-san called him the myna bird with the red yarn.”

“Is there anything smelly in the house?” Conan thought to ask.

“There's all kinds of pickles.” Mamoru replied. “My aunt liked them.”

“But I don't smell anything.” Conan blinked.

“They're kept in the basement.” Yahagi answered.

* * *

“Inspector, it's Mouri-san.” Takagi spoke, noticing Kogoro had entered his 'Sleeping Kogoro' mode.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” using Kogoro's voice, Conan pointed the culprit. “This was truly a difficult case. After all, all three suspects have alibis. However, there's one person who's alibi doesn't hold up: the owner of Sayama's Books, Sayama Yotaro-san. Let me ask you something. Apparently, you saw a myna bird with red yarn trailing behind him. Nine left the yarn and his leg band at the police box. When did you see a myna bird with red yarn?”

“I saw a myna bird with red yarn on the way to the hospital.” Sayama insisted.

“I see.” Conan noted. “I'm impressed you were able to recognize that it was yarn and not red string. By the way, the victim apparently attached the yarn to Nine this morning.”

“But, Mouri-san.” Takagi voiced. “Sayama-san was seen at Midoridai Station at 12:55. It would have been impossible for him to meet you at the hospital after speaking on the phone until 13:35 and killing Naoko-san here.”

“What if Sayama-san kept walking after answering the victim's call at the station?” Kogoro questioned. “The victim told him to come to her home immediately. He simply followed her instructions.”

“I see.” Takagi realized. “He could've arrived at the house by the time the call ended.”

“But he couldn't have used the main entrance based on the children's testimony.” Inspector Megure reasoned. “How on earth did he get in?”

“The side entrance.” Conan replied. “The victim Kokubo Naoko-san opened it herself. The flowerpot proves it.”

“That's why the flowerpot was there.” Yahagi gasped.

“After being summoned to the side entrance, the victim instructed him to bring in the flowerpot by the rear entrance.” Conan continued. “Committing the crime and leaving afterwards was simple. Since the lock was semi-automatic, it locks after pushing a button and exiting.”

“But look at me.” Sayama protested. “I can't use my dominant hand. I couldn't have done it. Mouri-san, you heard what the doctor said.”

“That was your last excuse.” Conan cut him off. “Let me ask you something, Sayama-san, you're the one that said this room stinks, aren't you? The clever Nine even remembered how you said it. What could have possibly have smelled so bad? Conan, are you there?”

“I'm here.” said boy presented himself and crawled over the table, pretending to have Kogoro whisper something into his ear. “I'll try it.” he got off the table, unlocked the basement door and opened it. “It's done. This allowed you to strangle her with only one hand.” he explained.

“She was crazy.” Sayama sank to his knees. “Returning the money wasn't enough to forgive me. Post an apology at my store. Send a apology to the newspaper. Go into the basement and stir the pickles. I couldn't take it anymore.”

“You can tell us all about it at the station.” Inspector Megure brought Sayama into custody.


	51. The Whistling Bookstore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“Yujiro-oji-san, you brought so many books.” Ayumi noted, the Detective Boys peering into the cartful of books Tamaki Yujiro had purchased from the used book sale.

“Yeah, I found some real treasures today.” the elder Tamaki beamed. “I'm off.” locking his cart in place, he proceeded to pull the cart back to his bookstore, only to find the weight was too much for him. “Thanks for the help?” he blinked, noticing the kids had helped him push the cart from the back.

* * *

“We're finally finished.” Conan heaved in relief after the boxes of book were loaded onto the Tamaki Bookstore floor.

“Thank you, everyone.” Yujiro brought out beverages. “As a reward, you can each have one book of your choice from the store. You're not going to get one?” he peered at Conan after the others split up.

“Are you sure it's okay?” Conan inquired. “You know, for the store to give out books”

“Children shouldn't worry about that.” Yujiro assured. “Just choose whatever you like.”

“Dad, that's enough.” Tamaki Ichiro chided his father as the kids were choosing their books. “Where are we supposed to put these books? The store's already packed with books we can't sell.”

“Finding a used book is a once in a lifetime experience.” Yujiro told his son. “Someday, these will pass into the hands of the people looking for them.

“You know this isn't a warehouse, right?” Ichiro reminded. “Besides, we need money to run a business. You understand that, don't you?”

“Yes, I know.” Yujiro relented.

“When did you guys...?” Conan turned to find the others standing behind him.

“Fumio-kun?” Ichiro recognized the blond boy who had frequented the store with his mother. “The rest of you are here, too. Did you come to buy something?”

“No.” Genta smiled. “Since we helped to move the books, we each get a book for free.”

“Genta-kun!” Mitsuhiko and Ayumi retorted.

“Dad, is that true?” Ichiro glared. “How generous of you when the business is struggling.

“Ichiro-san,” Fumio voiced. “Did you just come back from work? You're wearing an apron.”

“No, I just came back for my wallet.” Ichiro replied. “I'd better hurry.” he hurried to the bedroom attached to the store.

“Ichiro, sorry for the trouble.” Yujiro apologized.

“If you're sorry, shut down the store.” Ichiro advised. “That vague attitude of yours is so annoying.” his frustrated kick on a bookshelf's bottom caused the bookshelf to topple over.

“Watch out, Ichiro-san!” Fumio warned as the bookshelf fell over Ichiro.

“Are you okay?” Mitsuhiko asked, Ichiro was supporting the bookshelf with both hands.

“Looks like this bookshelf rotted.” Haibara looked at the cracked wooden panel at the bottom of the shelf.

“You and this store are at the end of their rope.” Ichiro stated, using a concrete brick to support the rotted bookshelf. “You should've realized this by now.” with that, he exited the store.

* * *

The next day...

“It's so awesome!” Genta gushed at the train engine on display in the park next to the Tamaki Used Bookstore.

“I just learned about it recently, too.” Mitsuhiko declared. “And this park has a secret. This steam engine moves.”

“You're blushing, Mitsuhiko.” Fumio pointed out.

“But there's no tracks.” Genta looked around.

“It's not like that.” Fumio tsked. “It's the wheels that move in place.”

“So, when does it run?” Genta inquired.

“Twice a day at 11 and 3.” Mitsuhiko replied. “There's still some time.”

“Then, let's play soccer until then.” Genta suggested.

* * *

“Mitsuhiko, where'd you get that?” Conan watched Mitsuhiko bring out a camera.

“I borrowed it from my father.” Mitsuhiko answered. “I thought I'd take picture of the steam engine running.”

“Hey.” Ichiro called out. “What are you kids doing?”

“We're waiting for the steam engine to run.” Mitsuhiko explained.

“What are you doing here, Ichiro-san?” Fumio asked.

“I'm working the evening shift today, so I was out for a walk.” Ichiro replied.

* * *

“That was intense.” Mitsuhiko gushed, the group was returning after watching the train engine.

“The store!” Conan gaped, seeing the bookstore's door was partially open and slid the door aside.

“What is this?” Ichiro entered the store. “Dad!” he spotted his father buried under the fallen bookshelves.

* * *

“Will he be okay?” Ayumi wondered after the ambulance took Yujiro to the hospital.

“His life isn't in danger.” Ichiro assured. “I'm sure he'll be fine. How did this happen?”

* * *

_The clock stopped at three._ Conan returned to the store and walked around the fallen bookshelves when he spotted the cracked clock. _That exactly when we were watching the steam engine. That's why we didn't hear the shelves falling. Judging by the situation, the shelf on the end fell and the rest fell one by one like dominoes. They were badly rotted._ He squatted by the ripped shelf bottoms. _I guess an accident was waiting to happen. What's this?_ Standing up, he saw a straight line mark across the side rail.

“Come on, kids.” Ichiro voiced. “It's dangerous. Get out of the store. Go home.” he urged.

* * *

Later that night...

“You shouldn't go in there.” Conan cautioned, the Detective Boys flashing their wristwatch flashlights on Ichiro who had returned to the park's steam engine to retrieve the string. “It's dangerous.”

“Ichiro-san, what are you doing here?” Fumio questioned.

“I dropped something when I came here in the afternoon.” Ichiro replied. “I'm here looking for it. Anyway, what are you kids doing here?”

You're the one who caused the accident, aren't you?” Conan accused. “This incident could only have happened deliberately. There aren't any books on the shelf on the end. In other words, it's the lightest. Do you think that bookshelf could've pushed over a shelf full of books?”

“They were all badly deteriorated.” Ichiro reasoned. “I don't think it's strange that the slightest bump caused an accident. “Besides, when the shelves fell, I was...”

“You were with us.” Fumio cut in.

“This is the photo that was taken at exactly three when the steam engine began running.” Conan showed him the picture Mitsuhiko had taken. “Judging by the broken clock in the bookstore, the accident happened exactly at three, too.”

“So, I couldn't have pushed the shelves over then.” Ichiro surmised.

“Maybe not directly, but it's possible using a trick.” Conan stated. “Look closely at the photo. These photos were taken using burst mode. Let's replay the series. Pay attention to the butterfly at the edge of the frame. Don't you think the butterfly's movements are strange?” he pointed to to the butterfly on screen after flashing through the series of photos. “It's weird it's not flapping its wings, but later it jumps up into the air. I think the butterfly was stopped on an invisible thread and was thrown upwards by the shock. Ichiro-san, you connected the strings to the steam engine's wheel and the bookshelves with thread, didn't you? Once the steam engine's wheels started moving at three, the bookshelves fell one after another. After most of the thread was wound up by the wheel, the thread broke, throwing the butterfly in the air. The reason you had a leaf stuck to you when you came to see us was because you were in the bush tying the string to the shelves.”

“You're wrong.” Ichiro insisted.

“Then, show us what you're hiding behind you back.” Conan requested. “If I'm right, then what you're holding is evidence that you planned this accident. It's burned and damaged in a few places.” he looked at the coil of thread in Ichiro's hand. “It should match the marks on the bookshelves.”

“You don't have to say anymore.” Ichiro confessed. “I did it.”

“You're lying.” Mitsuhiko protested. “Ichiro-san would never try to kill Yujiro-san.”

“Mitsuhiko, Ichiro-san wasn't trying to kill him.” Fumio corrected. “Do you remember what Yujiro-oji-san said? He happened to go back to the store to get his wallet. What Ichiro-san is trying to do is break the shelves, but Yujiro-oji-san was caught by it on accident.”

“It was really stupid of me.” Ichiro admitted. “I didn't want my father to push himself so hard anymore. No matter what I said, he wouldn't listen. I thought he'd stop if the shop was gone.”


	52. Conan Disappears Over a Cliff, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“It's so wonderful!” Ayumi gushed, the Detective Boys running into the lawn of a two-story mansion.

“Staying here makes me feel like a celebrity.” Mitsuhiko agreed.

“I bet they serve the best eel.” Genta bragged.

“I'm not sure about that.” Conan remarked.

“Unfortunately, we have to cook for ourselves, here, Koijma-kun.” Haibara pointed out.

“Your connections never fail to impress, Professor.” Fumio gawked. “I can't believe you know this villa's owner.”

Ayumi ran towards the fence facing the sea, taking in the sea breeze. Turning, she took a step back in shock. “What?”

“What's wrong, Ayumi-chan?” Conan asked, the others hurrying over upon hearing Ayumi's frightened scream.

“Who is he?” Genta blinked, taking in the gravely wounded Isehara Yuji who was lying behind the bush hedge.

“He's alive.” Conan noticed Isehara's deep breaths.

“He's seriously hurt, but he's still breathing.” Fumio confirmed, putting pressure on Isehara's wound to stem the bleeding.

“Haibara, call an ambulance.” Conan instructed.

* * *

“That was a surprise.” Mitsuhiko noted, seeing the ambulance take Isehara off. “Who was he and what happened to him? Is it some kind of case?”

“He's probably just a thief.” Genta guessed. “Maybe he made a mistake while breaking in and hurt himself.”

“It's not impossible if he can shoot himself in the arm with a crossbow.” Haibara deathpanned.

“Wait, a crossbow?” Fumio echoed. “Wasn't yesterday's...”

“Where's Conan-kun?” Ayumi inquired.

“He was here a minute ago.” Professor Agasa noted.

* * *

_He must've left this behind._ Conan returned to the crime scene and picked up a photograph. _What's this?_ He flipped the photo to the back and saw two rows of numbers and alphabet letters.

“Probably either usernames or passwords.” Fumio peered over the group leader's shoulder. “They're totally different. Are you returning it back to him?”

“I guess.” Conan replied. “Make up some excuse to tell the others, okay?”

* * *

Some time after Isehara was taken to hospital...

“Inspector Megure?” Ami took the call when the call was put through by the Bureau's operator. “Isehara Yuji? Yes... I understand. Ikari-buchō.” she knocked on her superior's door and entered.

* * *

“What?” Takagi blinked, seeing Conan in the Misakihama Clinic where Isehara had been taken.

“A suspicious man fled through the window.” Conan reported, having averted Isehara's assassination attempt earlier. “Check the rear entrance.”

* * *

“It's no use.” Chiba returned with an abandoned doctor coat. “He escaped. We found this in the garbage out back.”

“Was that injured man part of the Zorro robbery group?” Conan guessed.

“Actually, the group hires its members.” Takagi corrected. “Isehara Yuji, twenty-eight years old. He's a skilled hacker the Public Security Bureau's Cyber-Security division was pursuing, too. He hacks and manipulates the target's security information. We heard through the Kanagawa Police that they had a likely suspect in their custody, so we came here.”

“ Public Security Bureau's Cyber-Security division?” Conan echoed. “Does that mean Mizuno-san...”

“Inspector Megure had already informed Mizuno- _fukubuchō_ about Isehara Yuji.” Takagi stated, emphasizing on Ami's title. “She should be joining us once she received the go-ahead.”

“That should be enough for the report to Kogoro-ojisan.” Conan noted.

“Isehara's missing too?” Chiba exclaimed after a nurse informed him.

* * *

“Find them!” Inspector Megure instructed his subordinates, upon finding Isehara's bed empty. “Mizuno-fukubuchō, we have a problem.” he placed a call to the female vice department head.

* * *

Later that day...

“That's not fair, Conan.” Mitsuhiko complained, the rest of the Detective Boys having trailed Conan. “You've should've told us if something was up.”

“The Detective Boys are a team.” Ayumi agreed.

“Where did Conan go?” Genta wondered, the group having lost track of Conan deeper into the forest.

“That's odd.” Mitsuhiko noted. “We could see him until a while ago.”

“It's starting to get dark.” Ayumi pointed out. “Will Conan-kun be okay?”

“Don't you mean will we be okay?” Fumio corrected. “It looks like we're lost.” he looked around.

“Since the sun is setting that way, the ocean's this way.” Haibara turned. “We can still identify directions for now, so we can go back if we need to. So let's go a little farther.”

* * *

After night fell...

“Conan!” Genta spotted the cornered Isehara and Conan on a nearby cliff.

The Detective Boys watched on in horror as both Isehara and Conan fell into the ocean below.


	53. Conan Disappears Over a Cliff, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“Guys!” Ran and Kogoro arrived to the cliff in Professor Agasa's Beetle.

“Ran-nee-san!” Ayumi threw herself into the older female's arms and wept. “Conan-kun is...”

“It can't be true.” Mitsuhiko insisted.

“But we all saw Conan fall from up there.” Genta pointed out.

“You're right.” Haibara agreed. “We all saw Edogawa-kun fall from the cliff.”

“What happened, Inspector?” Kogoro asked, leaving Ran to comfort the distraught girl.

“It's Zorro.” Inspector Megure admitted. “He did this.”

“From the children's testimony, we were able to determine the man with Conan-kun as they were being pursued was Isehara Yuji.” Takagi explained.

“But right after they fell from of the cliff, Zorro and his men disappeared.” Chiba added.

“There must be discord among the group.” Inspector Megure concluded. “And Conan-kun go caught in the crossfire.”

“But what was the kid doing with Isehara?” Kogoro demanded.

“Don't ask me.” Inspector Megure retorted. “In any case, we'll ask the Kanagawa Police to begin searching the ocean first thing in the morning.”

* * *

At dawn the next morning...

“How is it going, Inspector?” Kogoro hurried up to Inspector Megure as he, Takagi and Chiba exited the Kanagawa Police Station's office.

“It's been three hours since the search started, but they still haven't found anything.” Inspector Megure replied.

“According to the local police, the water below the cliff is deep and the currents there are fast.” Takagi expressed. “Anyone who fell there would have been quickly washed out to sea.”

“They rarely find bodies there.” Chiba looked away.

“We're having them continue the search.” Inspector Megure continued. “They'll call us immediately if they find anything.”

Without the others knowing, Haibara pulled Fumio out of the police station and the pair started retracing Conan's steps.

* * *

In Ami's office...

Ami frowned when the tracking program she was using to track down Isehara's security disabling software started running on its own. _Is someone running it?_ As the tracking program continued running, she pulled out a digital map and started narrowing down the location of the computer program.

* * *

In the forest...

Haibara and Fumio pushed through some bushes, following the GPS app Fumio had on his cellphone.

“We came as you instructed.” Haibara declared, the pair entering the wooden shed.

“I thought it'd be broken after falling into the sea.” Conan heaved in relief as he and Isehara climbed out of the stacks of hay they were hiding under. “I'm glad my message got through.”

“More importantly, don't you have something to say?” Haibara glared, tossed a piece of shredded soccer ball cover.

“You're right.” Conan agreed. “Sorry. I need them to think we're dead, or his family will be in danger.”

“I don't mind.” Haibara admitted. “But make sure you explain it to them later.”

“I know.” Conan winced. “So, did you bring what I asked for?”

“Yeah.” Haibara took off the backpack she was carrying and pulled out the laptop she brought along. “Be careful with that.” she warned, Isehara snatching the computer and Conan's cellphone. “I spent two months developing that.”

“You even have these kind of programs.” Isehara was impressed when he switched on the laptop after connecting the cellphone to the USB port. “Kids are amazing these days. I used to be like you.” activating his disabling software, he entered the start item code and its password. “I knew it. They've already started working on disabling the target's security using my program.”

“We need to stop Zorro's next robbery first.” Conan voiced. “What's his target?”

“The Beika City Central Event Hall.” Isehara replied.

“Let's call the police.” Conan pulled Haibara and Fumio out.

* * *

“What?” Mizorogi Go, in a gas mask, stopped short when the tear gas from the gas cylinders dispelled to reveal an empty party hall.

“I've been waiting for you, Zorro-san.” Conan removed his gas mask. “Unfortunately, tonight's party is canceled after we learned you were coming.”

“That's impossible.” the sunglasses thief retorted.

“We heard voices earlier.” his shorted partner added.

“By voices, you mean these?” Fumio questioned, his own gas mask was already off as he played the recording from his cellphone.

“You can come in now.” Conan gave Isehara a side look.

“I'll just kill him again!” Mizorogi prepared his crossbow.

“Zorro, also known as Mizorogi Go.” Inspector Megure came out from behind the stage curtains. “You're under arrest for robbery, arson and murder.”

“You're going down with him.” Kogoro declared, cornering the three criminals with Takagi and Chiba. “Give yourselves up.”

“Let's go, Isehara.” Inspector Megure took Isehara into custody.

“I knew it.” Conan muttered, seeing Isehara step on his supposed family's photo without a care.

“I'll get mom to check it out.” Fumio supplied.

* * *

Later that night in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department headquarters...

“Mizuno-fukubuchō?” Inspector Megure took the call, Isehara was already in the interrogation room with Takagi. “We have Isehara in interrogation. Is there something else?”

* * *

“You have been a very busy man, Isehara-san.” Ami tsked, meeting Isehara and Takagi in the hallway. “This isn't your wife and child.” she showed the photograph she had claimed from Conan as evidence. “You modified the photo you found online to make them appear to be your family so Zorro and his men would believe you had a weakness. You were after the money he stole right from the beginning. After finding their bank account number, you ran from them. The children noticed. That password was for remotely transferring the money to your overseas account. You probably assumed you'd be released from prison before them.”

“I expected nothing less from the Security Bureau's Cyber-Security Division's fukubuchō.” Inspector Megure praised. “As per your orders, we had Interpol freeze the account. You won't be able to withdraw a cent of it, Isehara.”

“And to think Ikari-buchō and myself actually thought he'd be a great addition to the Cyber-Security Division.” Ami shook her head.

* * *

The camera now turned to Ami's work desk: a desk lamp had remained switched on, its spotlight laminating the red 'Rejected' stamp on Isehara's application.


	54. The Nobunaga 450 Case

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

The Detective Boys, along with Professor Agasa were on a commemoration sightseeing trip in the Gifu Prefecture.

“This is where we are staying tonight. “Professor Agasa led the kids to the hotel he had reserved beforehand. “Tobayama-san.” he greeted their host. “Kids, this is my old friend and the man who invited us, cormorant fisherman, Tobayama-san.”

* * *

“Where should we go next?” Professor Agasa inquired, the group having returned to the riverbank after witnessing Tobayama catch fish using the herd of cormorants.

“In that case, there's somewhere I'd like to go.” Mitsuhiko voiced.

* * *

“A local hero show, huh?” Conan noted, the group had sat down to watch the Nobuna Gaizer stage performance.

“Nobu... Naza...” Genta blinked. “What are they called?”

“The Nobuna Gaizers.” Haibara supplied. “They're heroes modeled after Oda Nobunaga.

“They're cool.” Ayumi gushed.

“Aren't they?” Mitsuhiko was in total fanboy mode. “I actually came here for this.” he took out his 'Local Hero Album' scrapbook. “Bu going on trips and looking online, I've gathered data on local heroes across the country. That was their signature move, the Gaizer Triple Decker Knock Down.” he declared, taking photos.

“Let's head back to the hotel, kids.” Professor Agasa stated after the performance was over.

“What's wrong, Mitsuhiko?” Ayumi asked, the group hearing Mitsuhiko's shocked exclaimed once they descended from the bridge.

“I forgot to ask them to sign my album.” Mitsuhiko recalled.

“Mitsuhiko, are you sure you want to give up so easily?” Conan teased.

“We'll wait for you.” Haibara voiced.

“Thank you.” Mitsuhiko hurried back.

* * *

“Mitsuhiko sure is taking quite a while.” Fumio looked at his watch as the group hurried back to the performance stage.

“It's quiet.” Ayumi noted, the group arrived at the backstage tent.

“Let's try calling him.” Genta took out his phone.

“That's...” Fumio hurried into the tent, hearing Mitsuhiko's ringtone. “Mitsuhiko's backpack.”

“What's going on?” Conan wondered.

* * *

“Huh?” two hours later, Detective Matsushiro Tamekichi arrived to the hotel where the group had gathered. “You kids seem familiar.”

“I remember now.” Genta recalled.

“We met during the world heritage site Onizawa Village case.” Ayumi reminded.

“Detective Matsushiro, right?” Haibara stated.

“Is Mouri-san not here today?” Detective Matsushiro inquired.

“He isn't here.” Fumio shook his head. “Professor Agasa came with us instead.”

“Could you give me details of the case again?” Detective Matsushiro pulled out his notebook.

* * *

“The Nobuna Gaizers are missing, too?” Conan echoed, after Detective Matsushiro returned to the hotel the next morning to update them on the case.

“We wanted to question them, too.” Detective Matsushiro admitted. “But we still haven't been able to get in touch with them.”

* * *

Later that day...

“The objects that were stolen include a miniature solid gold Oda Nobunaga statute and a golden tile.” Detective Matsushiro showed the Detective Boys the photos of the two items that had been stolen from the city's museum. “They also took some ancient manuscripts with historical value. They're all treasures of Gifu.”

“If we don't hurry, they'll be sold on the black market and be sent overseas.” Haibara voiced.

“Uh, could we see the security camera footage?” Professor Agasa requested, taking the cue from Conan.

* * *

“These guys...” Genta blinked, the group were going through the security footage in the security office. “

“They're the Nobuna Gaizers.” Ayumi recognized.

“You found the Nobuna Gaizers' car?” Detective Matsushiro echoed upon hearing a report from one of the policemen.

* * *

“What's that?” Ayumi gasped, after Detective Matsushiro pulled the van's door open and the group discovered the discarded costumes.

“It's a Nobunaga badge.” Genta exclaimed, seeing the tiny square badge Conan had picked up with a handkerchief. “Was he in this car?”

“Did they take him hostage?” Detective Matsushiro wondered.

“Look.” Haibara's focus on the metal ring on Nobuna Gaizer Red's right glove.

“We noticed.” Fumio nodded. “And look at the front wheels, too.”

“Is that?” Haibara gasped, Conan swiping a sample with his finger.

“It's asphalt tar.” Conan confirmed.

* * *

“Wait, Nobuna Gaizer Red was left-handed, right?” Fumio frowned, his eyes caught the glitter of Oyabu Kimifusa's ring as the events promoter walked past them, the group having left the forensics team to clear the scene.

“But he was right-handed at the crime scene.” Haibara remarked. “Blue and Green switched their signature poses, too.”

“What does that mean?” Genta asked.

“They're impostors?” Professor Agasa gasped.

“That's exactly right.” Conan grinned. “They kidnapped the real Nobuna Gaizers, stole their costumes, and committed the robbery while wearing them.”

“But who would do this?” Ayumi asked.

“You two already know, don't you?” Haibara guessed. “Should we confirm your suspicions?”

“Professor, call Detective Matsushiro.” Conan instructed.

* * *

“What's a success?” Haibara questioned, the group having cornered the real culprit.

“You mean your evil plan?” Conan asked. “Your plan to frame the Nobuna Gaizers for a robbery.” using his voice-changing bow-tie, he used Professor Agasa's voice to present the case's solution. “Hero show promoter, Oyabu Kimifusa-san.”

“Who are you?” the revealed Oyabu demanded.

“Where's Mitsuhiko-kun?” Ayumi glared.

“What are you talking about?” Oyabu played innocent. “I don't know anything.”

“Don't bother playing dumb.” Haibara retorted. “We have evidence.”

“Nobuna Gaizer Red is left-handed.” Ayumi added. “Blue and Green's positions are switched, too.”

“You should've done more research if you wanted to frame them.” Genta chided.

“They just happened to be different.” Oyabu argued.

“Then, there's another piece of damning evidence.” Conan continued. “Your ring.”

“You should've taken it off.” Haibara smirked. “Heroes don't wear rings.”

“You hit the security guard at the crime scene.” Conan commented. “Your ring tore off the glove when you did. It should match the cut on the victim, too.”

“We checked the costumes again after Agasa-san called.” at this point, Detective Matsushiro entered the scene. “The costume's glove was torn. We'll have to examine that ring thoroughly.”

“I didn't have a choice.” Oyabu confessed. “My company was going under. I was being threatened by loan sharks.”

“Were the other impostors employees of that loan company?” Conan inquired.

“I was forced to help them.” Oyabu defended.

“This isn't over yet.” Fumio voiced. “Where's Mitsuhiko? And the real Nobuna Gaizers?”

“I don't know.” Oyabu admitted. “They told me they'd handle the rest.”

“What does it mean?” Ayumi was confused.

“It means if we don't hurry, they'll be silenced forever.” Haibara summarized. “The heroes and Tsuburaya-kun.”

“Find them!” Detective Matsushiro ordered.

* * *

“That's...” climbing the Gifu Castle, Conan used his Telescopic Lens to scan the area and eventually focused on the paper planes Mitsuhiko had thrown out of the paper manufacturing factory window.

* * *

“Conan, the door is locked.” Mitsuhiko shouted from the window with smoke billowing out.

“Got it.” Conan shouted back.

Moments later, with the fire put out, the original Nobuna Gaizers and Mitsuhiko were rescued.


	55. A Pair of Crossing Fates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“You're right, you have a bump.” Ayumi blinked, Genta showing the Detective Boys the head bump he had received when he was knocked over by a fleeing thief earlier. “It looks painful.”

“I thought I could find that guy and turn him in to the police.” Genta declared.

“Of course we'll help.” Mitsuhiko stated. “So, why were you walking around Oku-Beika? That's pretty far from Beika City.”

“We should find the robber first before he gets away.” Ayumi reminded.

“You only saw from behind, right?” Conan asked.

“Yeah.” Genta nodded. “He was wearing a red jacket and jeans.”

“That isn't much to go on.” Fumio mused.

“Let's start by splitting up and canvassing the area.” Conan suggested.

“Wait a minute.” Mitsuhiko voiced.”'Violet man in a red jacket' is an inconvenient name. Let's give him our own name. I think Gonbei would be a nice name. After all, 'The Nameless Gonbei' is a term for an unknown man.”

“Why don't we call him 'Gonta', since he was the Gonbei who pushed Genta?” Haibara joked.

“Nice!” Mitsuhiko beamed. “Impressive, Haibara-san. That's a fantastic name. Since he's the Gonbei who pushed Genta, he's Gonta. Fantastic.”

“That sounds like one of Professor's lame puns.” Fumio muttered.

“He's not making fun of me, is he?” Haibara sweatdropped.

“Probably not.” Conan remarked.

* * *

“How did you guys do?” Conan asked, the group converging in front of the supermarket.

“Nothing.” Ayumi replied.

“No one's seen him.” Haibara added.

“We got nothing.” Mitsuhiko answered for Fumio and himself.

“Damn it, where did that violet man go?” Genta whined.

“Hey, kids.” Takagi called, arriving with Chiba in tow. “What are you doing here?”

“Have you seen a suspicious man?” Chiba asked.

“One wearing a red jacket and jeans.” Takagi added.

“He's a robber who broke into the house of Koda-san who lives up there.” Chiba pointed.

“He's a robber.” Genta realized.

“'He'?” Takagi echoed.

“Have you seen him?” Chiba pressed.

“I didn't see his face.” Genta admitted.

“He probably pushed Genta out of the way while he was fleeing.” Conan reasoned.

“Understood.” Chiba took the call. “Takagi-san, the security camera around the station didn't capture out suspect.

“Then, he could still be around here.” Takagi noted.

“So he wasn't just a violent man.” Mitsuhiko pointed out, once the two officers were out of earshot. “Gonta's a heinous criminal. We must do whatever we can to capture him.”

* * *

“We found Gonta.” Haibara placed a call to the boys when she and Ayumi heard and saw the police officer take off after the newly dubbed 'Gonta'.

“That's him!” Genta declared, the boys having joined the two girls for the chase. “That's Gonta.”

* * *

“So the man pushed you and stole your bike?” Takagi was questioning yet another Gonta's victim.

“First a car, then a bike.” Chiba noted.

“He's really a bad guy.” Genta stated.

* * *

“If we search randomly, we'll never get anywhere.” Mitsuhiko voiced.

“We might find something if we go to the house that was robbed.” Genta reasoned.

“Looks like something's bothering you two.” Haibara noticed Conan's and Fumio's pondering expressions.

“The cop said Gonta seems to be suffering from amnesia.” Conan stated.

“We may be able to solve that mystery if we go to the crime scene.” Mitsuhiko expressed.

* * *

“Was the thief really alone?” outside the Koda household, Inspector Megure was already questioning Koda Yoshi.

“That's right.” Koda confirmed. “He suddenly hit me from behind. When I came to, he was stealing my spare museum souvenir coin.”

“The crime scene shows that two men entered.” Inspector Megure reported.

“Genta, you saw only one guy, right?” Conan asked, the group was standing outside the barricade tape.

“Yeah.” Genta confirmed.

“The police must be confused.” Mitsuhiko concluded.

“Detective Takagi.” Conan blinked.

“I'm here to report to the Inspector.” Takagi replied. “The old man?” he spotted Ujihara Masuzo on the other side of the condoned off crime scene.

“You know him?” Conan asked.

“Ujihara Masuzo.” Takagi supplied. “He's a financier who works near the station. Rumor has it that he sends bad men after people who can't pay off their debts.”

“He's the very picture of an evil man.” Haibara agreed.

* * *

“Let's trace Gonta's steps.” Conan led the group away from the crime scene.

“After knocking the old woman unconscious, he fled the house.” Mitsuhiko started.

“He pushed me down here.” Genta returned to the spot.

“And you lost sight of him here.” Mitsuhiko added.

“This...” Fumio squatted down. “It looks like someone fell down this hill.”

“I got it.” Mitsuhiko beamed. “Gonta failed to make this turn and accidentally fell.”

“Then, he hit his head and lost his memory.” Conan followed the reasoning.

“Let's head down there.” Mitsuhiko jumped over the rope fence.

* * *

“Looks like you're right.” Conan confirmed, Fumio picking up the fallen ancient coin with a handkerchief.

“But there are two trails.” Fumio pointed.

“In other words, two men fell.” Conan reasoned.

“Someone else got involved.” Mitsuhiko concluded. “When Gonta rounded the corner, he ran into someone and they fell together.”

“But if that's true, then...” Conan voiced.

“The person who got involved would naturally go to the police.” Haibara reminded.

“But Detective Takagi didn't mention anything like that.” Ayumi pointed out.

“Then, why didn't they report it?” Fumio pondered.

“That's it.” Conan realized. “He doesn't know what happened to him because he lost his memory.”

“You're wrong, Conan-kun.” Ayumi reminded.

“It wasn't the bystander who got involved who lost his memory.” Mitsuhiko pointed out.

“Edogawa-kun, do you mean...” Haibara realized the same thing.

“Yeah.” Conan nodded. “Come to think of it, I thought something seems strange. His clothes were strangely baggy. Genta, are you sure the man who pushed you was that Gonta?”

“Now that you mention it...” Genta recalled. “I have a feeling he was a little bigger.”

“Looks like this settles it.” Fumio grinned at their leader. “They switched places after falling here by changing clothes.”

“In other words, the Gonta we've been chasing...” Mitsuhiko concluded.

“Wasn't the robber that pushed me.” Genta noted.

“But the bystander that got involved.” Haibara finished.

“But he believes he's the robber and is running from the police.” Mitsuhiko reminded.

“Even though he hadn't done anything wrong.” Ayumi sighed. “But he's been doing bad things to get away.”

“Then, let's go back to Beika City.” Fumio voiced.

“To see Ujihara, right?” Haibara smirked.

“If he sent the actual thief to rob the house, then it explains why he appeared at the crime scene.” Conan explained.

“To see how it went.” Haibara added.

“Or if he's exposed as the mastermind.” Conan proposed a second reason. “If we question him, we'll be able to find the real culprit.”

* * *

“Conan-kun?” Takagi blinked, seeing the Detective Boys inside the Ujihara Financier building. “What are you kids doing here?”

“What are you doing?” Conan returned the question.

“I'm here to talk to Ujihara Masuzo.” Takagi whispered. “I'm going to show him this police sketch.” he flashed the pencil drawing of Gonta.

“Actually...” Ayumi started.

“That man...” Mitsuhiko added.

“He's not the robber.” Ayumi informed Takagi who was heading towards the staircase.

* * *

“You know this man, don't you, Ujihara-san?” Takagi showed the financier the drawing.

“I don't know him.” Ujihara scoffed, schooling in his shocked expression.

“But the moment you saw this drawing, you...” Takagi pressed.

“Wait a minute.” Mitsuhiko pulled Takagi off with Genta's help. “Something's not right.” he pointed to the drawing, once they were outside the corridor. “This man is an innocent bystander who got caught up in the robbery.”

“But Ujihara reacted to his police sketch.” Haibara pointed out. “It doesn't make sense.”

“Wait a minute, didn't Inspector Megure...” Fumio frowned.

“So that's how it is!” Conan gasped.

* * *

“I'd like to talk to you about the robbery in Oku-Beika.” Takagi flashed his police badge to Torimaru Shinya.

“Looks like it was him.” Mitsuhiko stated.

“You remember me, don't you?” Genta stepped forward. “You're not getting away!” he shouted as Torimaru tried to escape.

“Stop!” Takagi gave chase, flipping Torimaru over his shoulder.

“How dare you push me!” Genta jumped onto the fallen Torimaru's stomach and sat on him.

* * *

“Takagi-san, we've captured the suspect.” Chiba informed.

* * *

“This is the robber I saw.” Koda identified the thief. “He was wearing that red jacket and jeans.”

“Actually, that's not him.” Takagi corrected. “Torimaru Shinya-kun.” he turned his attention to the other suspect.

“I happened to hear about Ujihara the moneylender yesterday.” Ujihara snorted. “I thought it sounded good, so I broke into this house. But the old woman was unconscious and the whole house had been searched. But while I was conducing my own search...” he related how Oda had awoken and he had knocked the old lady and made his escape. Fleeing from the house, he knocked Genta aside. Turning the corner, he was too late to stop himself from knocking 'Gonta' over and causing both men to fall over the cliff. “I thought I'd gotten away with it by framing him.”

“So I was knocked unconscious by two different robbers?” Koda gasped.

“So, even though I hadn't robbed anyone, I committed one crime after another while trying to get away?” Gonta gasped.

“Torimaru-san, was this the voice you heard at Ujihara Finance yesterday?” Conan asked.

“That's right.” Torimaru pointed at the distressed Gonta. “He's the one who Ujihara was threatening yesterday.”

“Conan-kun, looks like you were right.” Takagi remarked.

“If Ujihara hadn't put him up to it, he wouldn't have reacted like that.” Conan explained. “He broke into the house with the intention of robbing it and knocked Koda-san unconscious. He was searching the house when you broke in, and ran. While he was nursing the ankle he twisted while running, you ran into him.”

“So, that's what happened.” Torimaru gaped.

“That explains everything.” Chiba noted.

“All that's let is to arrest Ujihara Masuzo for incitement.” Takagi concluded.

“Gonta-san must've felt like he had to after being threatened.” Ayumi looked at Mitsuhiko and Genta.

“My name's Gonta?” Gonta pointed to himself.

“That's just the name we gave you.” Mitsuhiko explained.

“That's it.” Gonta beamed. “I'm Gonta: Gonna Taro. People have called me Gonta since I was a kid. I remember everything now. I was in despair after the company I was working at for shut down. But yesterday...”

“Take those two away!” Inspector Megure ordered.

“I am utterly speechless.” Fumio shook his head, after hearing Gonna brag about finding new purpose by becoming a thief.


	56. The Detective Boys and the Haunted House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“Thank you.” Conan remarked, toweling himself dry using the towels Yoshimoto Hana had brought for the Detective Boys.

“You kids don't seem to be around here.” Yoshimoto Saburo noted.

“We came here to go camping.” Mitsuhiko explained.

“It suddenly started raining when we went to see the lighthouse.” Genta added.

“Not even an umbrella would help you in this downpour.” Hana sympathized.

“You can stay here while it's raining, but you have to leave once it stops.” Saburo stated. “Nothing good will come from staying here. Strange things have been happening at this mansion lately. It's best not to get involved. I've never seen one, but the master says there are ghosts. According to him, it's a yellowish white color. Now that you know, let me have those towels.” he reclaimed the towels.

* * *

“Did you guys just see something yellow?” Genta gasped, seeing a flash of yellow streak across the wall in the lobby.

“I did.” Ayumi replied. “It disappeared immediately, though.”

“Are there really...” Mitsuhiko stammered.

* * *

“It's not letting up.” Ayumi looked out of the window of the second story.

“Who are you kids?” Amemiya Hideto spotted the children as he climbed up the stairs.

“We're staying here to get out of the rain.” Conan explained.

“I see.” Amemiya noted. “I'm Amemiya Hideto, the freeloader who lives here. Nice to meet you.”

* * *

“Wow.” Ayumi gushed after Amemiya invited them into his room.

“This place is like a science lab.” Genta gawked.

“I conduct scientific research at college.” Amemiya explained. “I also use the annex in the yard as a lab.”

“Given your studies, how do you feel about ghosts?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“You heard about my uncle.” Amemiya realized. “I don't believe in them, but my uncle seems to think they actually exist.”

“This house is quite old, isn't it?” Fumio inquired, looking intently at the chemical bottles in the cabinet.

“Yeah.” Amemiya replied. “My uncle bought it five years ago when he retired, but it was built fifty years ago.”

“Did he buy it without knowing about the ghost rumors?” Conan wondered.

“I see.” Amemiya noted. “My uncle started saying there were ghosts about two week ago. My aunt actually passed away two months ago. My uncle says she's visiting him. She always had weak legs. She always went there.” he recollected how he had hurried over to Otaguro Chieko's accident site, only to find the old woman had fallen over the cliff. “We don't know why she fell that day.”

* * *

“We heard your wife visits you.” Conan looked at Otaguro Nobuteru at the dining table.

“She does.” Otaguro replied.

“But isn't she dead?” Conan wondered.

“Yes, but she really does come.” Otaguro insisted. “She comes after dark. Then she leave around ten.”

“What does your wife look like?” Mitsuhiko inquired.

“She looks like a yellowish light.” Otaguro answered. “But before long, I heard Chieko's voice. Tonight, she'll tell me about the accident.”

“Yoshimoto-san?” Fumio was alerted when the elderly woman suddenly dropped the tray.

“I”m sorry.” Hana hurried to clear the mess.

“I'm returning to my room.” Otaguro stood up.

“I'll head back to my lab, then.” Amemiya excused himself. “Hana-san, I broke a beaker in my room. Could you run the vacuum later? It's in the front of the medical cabinet.”

“Very well.” Hana acknowledged.

* * *

Later that night...

After much prodding from Mitsuhiko, both Conan and Fumio left the others alone to do their own investigating.

“Even if the ghost's real, it's just his wife, right?” Conan asked, the both miniature detectives having returned to the bedroom the kids were sharing. “I don't think she'd hurt you.”

“We're just going to check something out.” Fumio opened the door.

* * *

“Uncle!” Amemiya exclaimed, seeing Otaguro suddenly cough out the tea he was drinking. “Are you alright? Saburo-san, call an ambulance.”

“That isn't necessary.” Fumio corrected, entering the dining hall with Conan.

“That packed a punch.” Otaguro admitted. “Hana-san, what's wrong with this tea?”

“It's no wonder it tastes bad.” Conan added. “There's salt in that tea. Because we swapped the contents of the poison bottle in Hideto-san's room with salt. We found the bottle Hana-san took from the cabinet and hid in the kitchen.”

“You took the poison?” Amemiya echoed, turning to Hana. “And meant to put it in the tea?”

“Hana-san was worried that the ghost would reveal the truth behind the accident that happened two months ago.” Fumio explained.

“I...” Hana started. “I didn't think she'd die. I just wanted to annoy her.” she recalled that she had tampered with the mistress' wheelchair brakes after the late Chieko warned her to stop stealing jewelry. “I thought she'd have trouble getting in and out of her wheelchair if I loosened the brakes.”

“Hana-san thought the ghost would tell Otaguro-san about it.” Conan continued. “But there was nothing she can do about a ghost. So Hana-san made Otaguro-san her target. The salt we substituted in Otaguro-san's tea proves it.”

“However, she didn't need to worry about that.” Fumio cut in. “Since, there never was a ghost. Am I right, Hideto-san?”

“But the wheelchair moved on its own.” Mitsuhiko reminded, recalling how the wheelchair had moved along the corridor.

“This house was built fifty years ago.” Fumio answered. “Some places are bound to be damaged; like a crack in the wall, enabling a breeze to blow through it and pushing the wheelchair. Besides, the brakes were broken.”

“But the door to his room opened on its own.” Genta pointed out.

“That door opens at the slightest vibration because the latch is old and weak.” Conan reasoned.

“What about the yellow ghost floating in the room?” Ayumi pressed.

“Remember the greenhouse we saw when we arrived?” Fumio reminded. “That greenhouse was built two weeks ago, coinciding with the ghost's appearance. The ghost itself is the light from the lighthouse. The light hasn't stuck this house directly before, but because of the greenhouse that was built, the light started reflecting off the glass windows and illuminating the walls of the house. The light seeping through the walls then reflected off the glass on Otaguro-san's bookcase and making it look like a ghost.”

“We just called the owner the greenhouse.” Conan added. “He said he closes the window every night at ten. That's why the ghost disappears at ten, too. By the way, he also leaves the windows open when it rains so it won't get stuffy inside.”

“What about the glow on the second floor when we arrived?” Genta asked.

“Hideto-san turned up right after, right?” Conan reminded. “It was probably the lights from Hideto-san's car. We couldn't hear the car because of the rain.”

“But there was a woman's voice coming from the room.” Ayumi protested.

“By the way, we put the poison we swapped out for salt in another bottle and returned it to the cabinet.” Fumio informed. “After all, the cabinet wasn't locked.”

“If Hana-san unlocked the cabinet, she would've have locked it so she wouldn't be discovered.” Conan surmised. “So I think it was unlocked to begin with.”

“But it would be strange for an expert like Hideto-san to ignore safety protocols and leave a cabinet containing poison unlocked.” Fumio remarked.

“That was careless of me.” Amemiya admitted.

“Returning to the voice,” Conan continued. “Since the ghost is the light from the lighthouse, there must be an explanation for the voice. Thinking that, we examined Otaguro-san's room, and we found it.”

“A speaker, a mic, and a wireless device behind the bookcase.” Fumio placed the uncovered device on the dining table. “This is probably where your wife's voice was coming from. And the only person in this house who could've made this is you, Hideto-san.”

“But if he played the wife's voice...” Genta gasped.

“Was he using clips he recorded?” Mitsuhiko reasoned.

“Hideto-san was probably playing his own voice modified to sound feminine.” Conan guessed. “Since Otaguro-san believe that his wife's ghost was visiting him, he believed he'd mistake it for hers. When Hideto-san arrived at the scene of the accident, he noticed the brakes were loose. He also noticed how Hana-san began to acting since the ghost started appearing. Hideto-san realized Hana-san was connected to the accident. He thought she'd act as expected if he pressured her. He began producing the voice so she'd think the truth behind the accident would be revealed. So he deliberately broke a beaker in front of the unlocked cabinet and asked her to clean it, knowing what Hana-san would do. It all went according to plan: Hana-san took the poison and attempted to murder Otaguro-san.”

“You're trying to say I tried to kill my uncle?” Amemiya snapped. “Why would I?”

“The reason, is this!” Fumio brandished the red envelope full of debtor notices. “We found it in the trash can in your room. These are debt collection notices, right?”

“Hideto-san, you have been borrowing money from a bunch of places.” Conan tsked. “Your motive was money. Drowning in debt, you wanted Otaguro-san's wealth. Why didn't you talk to him?” he wondered.

“My uncle's stricter than anyone when it comes to money.” Amemiya sighed.


	57. Solving Mysteries at the Poirot Cafe, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“Who comes all the way to Tokyo of that?” Conan teased Hattori, the two detectives were lounging inside Cafe Poirot.

“Shut up.” Hattori retorted. “You went all the way to London to tell her how you feel.”

“In my case...” Conan stammered. “We just happened to be in London.”

“Oh yeah?” Hattori mocked. “I'd like to say a line as cool as that.”

“Anyway, are you sure about today?” Conan asked. “The date.”

“Yeah.” Hattori agreed. “After all, today is...”

“Friday the 13th.” Amuro cut in. “Is that why? There are various theories on why it's considered an unlucky day. The most common ones are because Jesus Christ's last supper was attended by 13 people, or because the number 13 doesn't fit the duodecimal system. And Jesus was crucified on a Friday. President Kennedy was also assassinated in Dallas on Friday, wasn't he? But we're in japan.” he placed Hattori's iced coffee in front of the tanned teen. “You have nothing to worry about. The 13th of the month just happened to be a Friday: statistically speaking, it happens twice a year. You shouldn't worry about telling the object of your affection how you feel.”

“Then again, Jesus and Kennedy didn't die on a Friday.” Fumio supplied helpfully.

“But on Friday the 13th,” Iori Muga, in his Wada Shin'ichi guise, interrupted. “On Friday the 13th of October 1307, King Phillip IV had all the Knights Templar in France arrested. They were unjustly tortured and burnt at the stake. On the Friday of June 13th 1483, the notorious Richard III had all of his advisors arrested for treason. Julius Caesar was also betrayed and murdered by Brutus on Friday the 13th. Today is a very unlucky day. Even in Japan, it should be avoided. Excuse me.” he apologized. “I happened to overhear your conversation and couldn't help myself.”

“Does he come here often?” Conan whispered to Amuro.

“No, I think it's his first time here.” Amuro replied. “He came in right after you did.”

“Welcome.” Azusa greeted their next customer.

“They're still not here?” Ozumi Meisuke was surprised to find himself the first among his group to arrive. “Fine then.” he shrugged.

“You're with the Beika University drama club that made a reservation, correct?” Amuro confirmed. “Your friends aren't here yet.”

“Sheesh, we're celebrating Yui's birthday here today.” Ozumi tsked. “When they show up, tell them they can start without me.” he placed his sling bag on one of the cushioned seats around their reserved table. “My stomach hasn't been feeling well since this afternoon.” he excused himself to the toilet.

* * *

Sometime later...

“Seriously?” Anzai Tengo entered the cafe with Yamashita Yui. “Don't tell me we got here first.”

“No,” Azusa replied. “Ozumi-san arrived earlier. He's in the bathroom.”

“Ozumi-kun didn't seem well this afternoon.” Yamashita noted.

“Then, I'll have you to myself while your boyfriend's gone.” Anzai pulled Yamashita into him.

“Stop that.” Yamashita pushed Anzai off and pushed him over to their reserved table. “Tengo, I'm telling you just in case, but don't say anything about that. Nagatsuka-kun's still not here.” she noticed.

“Yeah.” Anzai took a seat opposite Yamashita. “He's in the middle of filming your birthday video right now. After all, he's in love with you. He always glares at me when I flirt with you.”

“He's just upset that you're flirting with his friend's girlfriend.” Yamashita defended. “Ozumi-kun and Nagasaki-kun went to the same high school. You and I are also childhood friends. We're just messing around.”

“Just friends, huh?” Anzai echoed. “Either way, they'll find out soon enough.”

“I thought you were just childhood friends.” Nagatsuka Minoru cut in.

“You're late.” Anzai chided.

“I got lost.” Nagatsuka replied.

“Lost?” Anzai echoed. “We've been here plenty of times before hunting for locations.”

“Last year, we put on a play based on this location.” Yamashita reminded. “We came here together, then.”

“Our previous president suggested we build a set identical to this place.” Anzai added. “We even measured the size of the table and height of the chairs. Right?” he turned to Amuro.

“I wasn't working here, then.” Amuro answered. “Azusa-san, do you remember?”

“Yes.” Azusa recalled. “I was asked about how we interact with customers and serve dishes.”

“Have a seat.” Anzai sat Nagasaki down. “Let's watch Yui's birthday video together. You finished filming your part, right?”

“Yeah, I just sent it to your laptop.” Nagasaki replied. “But Ozumi's not here yet.”

* * *

“Fumio-kun, what's wrong?” Amuro noticed his son was staring intently at the toilet door.

“Ozumi-san...” Fumio started. “He's taking quite a long time, isn't he?”

“Indeed.” Amuro conceded.

* * *

“We're going to make some noise.” Anzai informed Conan and Hattori who were seated at the next table. “Don't mind us. It's not turning on.” he blinked when the power button did nothing. “Is the battery dead? Hey, miss.” he turned to Azusa. “Could we borrow an outlet?” plugging on the wire extension, he plugged in the laptop using the extension outlet Azusa lent him.

“No way.” Yamashita gasped when the light suddenly went out after a spark was seen from the plug. “A blackout?”

“I just saw a spark.” Nagasaki added.

“Yeah, from the outlet.” Anzai agreed.

“Azusa-nee-san, the breaker.” Fumio had already hopped off his usual seat and used the backlight of his handphone to guide him to the breaker.

Just then, in the darkness, Anzai suddenly let out a scream in pain.

Without a minute's hesitation, Azusa turned the breaker on.

“What's all this noise about?” Ozumi exited the toilet, just as the lights turned back on.

Seeing Anzai fallen on the floor with a bloodied kitchen knife beside him, Yamashita screamed. “Tengo! Hand in there, Tengo.” she hurried over to the fallen man.

“Don't!” Hattori warned as he and Conan sprung into action.

“Don't touch him.” Conan cautioned.

“This is murder.” Hattori knelt beside the victim. “Don't carelessly damage the crime scene.”

“Looks like this is an attempted murder.” Amuro corrected, looking closer at Anzai. “Azusa-san, call the ambulance and the police.”

“Since he was stabbed with such a long sashimi knife, I thought he died instantly.” Hattori remarked. “But there's no need to call the police. When he was stabbed, some blood flew onto my face.”

“And onto my glasses, too.” Conan added.

“His blood must've gotten on the culprit's hands or sleeves.” Hattori concluded. “You can't be serious.” he whined, seeing the other drama club members' hands were clean. “Why isn't there blood on anyone?”

“You sir.” Amuro spotted Iori at the door. “The man quietly trying to leave. Could you show us your hands?”

“I wasn't trying to leave.” Iori corrected showing his clean hands.

“There's no blood on him, either.” Hattori gaped. “Why does every case have to be so hard?”

“Conan,” Fumio deathpanned at the bespectacled boy. “Are you _really_ sure you aren't touched by a Shinigami?”

“Ano ne...” Conan twitched.

“Fumio-kun.” Amuro fought back a chuckle. “Give your mother a call and inform her we'll be late.”

“Okay.” Fumio nodded.

* * *

“I see.” Inspector Megure stated. “Due to the thin wire wrapped around the plug powering victim Anzai Tengo-san's laptop, when the victim plugged it into this extension cord, it shorted out and caused a blackout. And in the darkness, someone in the store stabbed the victim.”

“Yes, most likely.” Takagi agreed. “But, there's no blood on the hands and sleeves of the victim's three friends or the other customer. There's none on Conan-kun, Hattori-kun and Fumio-kun, who were also inside the cafe, or employees Amuro-san and Azusa-san. All of this despite the fact that Conan-kun and Hattori-kun had blood on their faces and the table they were sitting at were splattered with blood.”

“Did the victim always carry this laptop with him?” Inspector Megure asked.

“Yes, he kept it in that bag on the floor.” Yamashita replied.

“But he left it in the club room all the time.” Nagasaki supplied. “Anyone could've done something to it.”

“He had a lot of enemies.” Ozumi added.

“He frequently flirted with other men's girlfriends and caused trouble.” Nagasaki explained.

“He even flirted with my girlfriend, Yui.” Ozumi stated.

“It's because we're childhood friends.” Yamashita protested. “I told you he was just messing around.”

“His dad is a member of the Diet.” Ozumi expressed. “I heard he smoothed a lot of disputes for him behind the scene.”

“By the way, the victim seems to have been sitting in this seat before the blackout occurred.” Takagi turned to the upturned chair. “Where was everyone else sitting then?”

“I was sitting across from him in the booth.” Yamashita replied.

“I was sitting next to Anzai in that chair.” Nagasaki pointed.

“What about you, Ozumi-san?” Takagi inquired.

“I arrived before the others.” Ozumi replied. “After setting my bag in the booth, I was in the bathroom the whole time. My stomach hasn't been feeling well since this afternoon.”

“That makes you the only one who could've wasted the blood off.” Inspector Megure reasoned.

“If you think I did it, you can search me.” Ozumi objected. “Even if I washed it off with water, there'd still be a something-or-other reaction, right?”

“Luminol.” Amuro answered. “It's used to detect nitrogen-containing compounds. When mixed with hydrogen peroxide and sprayed into blood, it reflects a pale light. I doubt Ozumi-san will produce a luminol reaction. Before the police arrived, I checked the security camera footage. He came to Poirot first and went into the bathroom. Anzai-san and Yamashita-san arrived next. Finally, Nagasaki-san arrived some time later. The blackout occurred when they tried to watch the birthday video on the laptop. Until the footage cut off due to the blackout, the bathroom door remained closed the whole time. I doubt he could've have known who was sitting where.”

“But the bathroom had a peephole.” Takagi pointed out.

“The glass is frosted.” Amuro opened the toilet door. “You can't see what's going on in the store.”

“Let me see.” Inspector Megure moved in. “You're right.”

“Tou-san.” Fumio tugged Amuro's trousers and pointed to the hastily stuffed toilet paper core.

“Good eye, Fumio-kun.” Amuro praised.

* * *

“Inspector.” Takagi reported. “I examined the possessions of those three. Ozumi-san had keys, cigarettes, a lighter, a wallet, a phone and a present for Yui-san which contained a necklace. Yamashita Yui-san had a handkerchief, tissues, makeup, keys and a wallet. Nagasaki-san had eye drops, a wallet, a phone, and a present for Yui-san containing gloves. I searched Ozumi-san's bag as well, but didn't find anything he could've used to commit a crime.”

“Listen, detectives.” Ozumi voiced. “You seem to think we did it.”

“Couldn't it be an outsider?” Yamashita suggested.

“Maybe someone was waiting outside the store for the blackout and came inside to stab him with night vision goggles.” Nagasaki reasoned.

“That seems unlikely.” Iori stated. “Immediately after that man was stabbed and screamed, I stood in front of the entrance so no one could get out.”

“That's why you were standing next to the door when the lights come on.” Hattori noted. “You must have pretty good night vision.”

“No.” Iori took out his phone. “I just happened to be using my phone to listen to music. I used that faint light.”

“Come to think of it, you haven't told us your name yet.” Takagi reminded.

“I'm Wada Shin'ichi.” Iori answered. “I work in medicine. So I'm curious why no one has blood on them.”


	58. Solving Mysteries at the Poirot Cafe, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“He's got the same name as you.” Hattori teased.

“Conan-kun, isn't your name Conan?” Azusa asked, overhearing the statement.

“He meant to say 'your favorite Shinichi-nii-chan'.” Conan fibbed. “Heiji-nii-chan can be so unclear sometimes.”

“Anyway Kudo, do you know who did it?” Hattori asked, once Azusa was out of earshot.

“No, not yet.” Conan replied. “I thought of a trick to avoid getting blood on yourself, though.”

“You, too?” Hattori echoed.

“But the person who could've used the trick...” Conan trailed.

“Couldn't have committed the crime.” Hattori finished. “Damn, we have to solve this quick so we can go to Kinza.”

“Yamashita Yui-san.” Conan approached the woman. “You said you and Anzai-san are just childhood friends, but that's not true, isn't it? If there's something going on, could you tell me? It might help us solve the case.”

“Sorry, but I can't tell.” Yamashita apologized. “It's a secret I have to keep to protect someone. When I was your age, I didn't think I had any secrets either.”

“Really?” Conan gaped.

“Hey, Kudo.” Hattori pressed, after Conan was turned away. “You know how late the Kinza lights are staying on?”

“No.” Conan answered.

“'From the long clouds blown by the fall wind, the moonlight that shines through is beautiful indeed'.” Iori cleared his throat and recited a line.

_One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets?_ Conan and Hattori recognized the line.

_I see._ Amuro smiled.

_So that's how it is._ Hattori grinned.

_I know exactly what happened._ Conan mirrored the grin.

* * *

“Hey, detectives.” Ozumi voiced. “Can't we go now? I'm sorry that Anzai got stabbed, but none of us did it. There's no blood on anyone.”

“I don't think we could've stabbed anyone in the pitch blackness of the blackout.” Yamashita reasoned.

“You'd need night vision goggles.” Nagasaki added.

“I was in the bathroom since before the blackout, so I couldn't have stabbed him.” Ozumi argued. “The peephole of the bathroom door is made of frosted glass. I couldn't have known who was sitting where.”

“' From the long clouds blown by the fall wind,'” Hattori repeated the quote. “'From the long clouds blown by the fall wind, the moonlight that shines through is beautiful indeed'. It's a poem by Sakyo no Daibu Akisuke. It means the moon seen through the clouds blown by the fall wind is super pretty. And the culprit also saw who it was sitting where through a gap.”

“What are you doing?” Conan blinked, spotting Iori turning his handphone towards the detecting Hattori.

“Nothing.” Iori replied. “Don't mind me.”

“Right?” Hattori pressed. “The man who was hiding in the bathroom and secretly watching through the peephole, I'm asking you, Ozumi Meisuke-san.”

“What are you talking about?” Ozumi protested. “Didn't you hear me? The peephole's made of frost glass.”

“Azusa-nee-san.” Fumio voiced. “Do we have any scotch tape around?”

“But why do you need this for?” Azusa took out the tape dispenser.

“Uncle Akai once explained to me that if you put scotch tape on the rough side of frosted glass, it'll be like normal glass.” Fumio replied. “Anyway, try putting some tape on the peephole and look through it.”

“You're right.” Azusa gaped, tearing off a strip of tape and pasting it across the peephole glass. “I can see through the spot covered by the tape.”

“You're right.” Inspector Megure confirmed. “I wouldn't call it totally transparent, but you can see who's sitting where.”

“But why?” Takagi blinked.

“It difficult to see through frosted glass because tiny scratches on its surface reflect light, making it appear cloudy.” Amuro explained. “By putting tape over it, the adhesive on the tape fills the scratches on the glass, flattening the surface and making it transparent.”

“But I don't have any tape on me.” Ozumi pointed out.

“There were tape on the birthday present you got from Yui-san.” Conan reminded. “After looking through the frosted glass, you could've put it back on the present.”

“Even if I could see the others through the peephole, I couldn't have stabbed anyone in the darkness.” Ozumi stated.

“So, you practiced, didn't you?” Hattori cut in. “You arranged tables and chairs in your room in the same layout as this cafe so you could stab someone in the dark. If you built a set identical to this cafe for your play last year, these measurements must still be in your drama club room somewhere.”

“Even if I knew the exact layout, it'd still be hard to stab someone.” Ozumi retorted.

“Yes.” Amuro agreed. “From the front, their hands would get in the way, making it difficult to stab them. But from their blind side, as long as you knew where they were sitting, it would be possible. That's why you came first and put your bag on the booth seat, knowing your girlfriend, Yui-san, would sit next to it.”

“I see.” Inspector Megure noted. “If the booth seats were occupied, the victim would be forced to sit in either of the chairs opposite them.”

“But what about the blood?” Ozumi pressed. “Even if I could stab him, I would've gotten blood on me.”

“You made sure you wouldn't.” Conan stated. “Using something you found in the bathroom.”

* * *

Meanwhile along the Kinza streets...

“Wow, it's so pretty.” Kazuha gushed as she strolled down the illuminated streets. “It's like Tinkerbell's gonna show up any minute.”

“I know.” Ran agreed. “It's like a dream world. Isn't that...” she spotted Ami typing away on her Blackberry on the roadside. “Mizuno-san!” she called out to the older woman.

“Mouri-san.” Ami looked up from her Blackberry and nodded in greeting.

“Kazuha-chan.” Ran pushed Kazuha forward. “This is Mizuno Ami-san, she's Fumio-kun's mother.”

“Fumio?” Kazuha echoed. “Ah, that blond kid who's by Conan's side, right?”

“Yeah.” Ran nodded. “Mizuno-san, this is Toyama Kazuha-chan.” she introduced.

“Toyama...” Ami frowned. “Any relation to Osaka Chief Detective Toyama Ginshiro?”

“He's my father.” Kazuha blinked. “How do you know...”

“Let's just say your father and I coordinated on a couple of cross-distinct cases in the past.” Ami smiled.

“Cross-distinct cases...” Kazuha trailed. “You're with the Tokyo Police?”

“The Security Bureau.” Ami winked. “But keep that quiet, okay?”

“I'm glad it's just the three of us women.” Kazuha looked up at the lighted streets. “If I saw this in person with Heiji, I might've felt something crazy. What a relief. Seriously.”

“Males are really quite slow with their emotions.” Ami remarked, handing Kazuha a piece of tissue paper. “Tooru is the same with me.”

“Thanks.” Kazuha took the tissue and wiped the tears that were threatening to fall. “Anyway, I wonder what Heiji is doing? He's not answering his phone.”

“Fumio called me earlier.” Ami supplied. “Seems like something came up in Cafe Poirot.”

“You're late.” a braided woman chided her boyfriend who was running to her.

“Sorry.” the male apologized. “Anyway, you shouldn't have suddenly changed where we'd meet. I wanted Poirot's sandwiches.”

“You haven't heard?” the woman blinked. “There's something crazy going on at the cafe. Apparently, there was a murder. Some guy was stabbed and taken to hospital.”

“Just as I thought.” Ami sighed. “It's going to take a while before it'll be resolved. Have the two of you eaten?” she looked at the two younger girls.

* * *

“Toilet paper?” Inspector Megure echoed. “He used toilet paper to prevent blood from getting on himself?”

“Yeah.” Conan nodded. “He wrapped it around his arms like a mummy.”

“You idiot.” Ozumi snapped. “You couldn't block all the blood just by covering your arms.

“No, that's all you need.” Hattori cut in. “You held the cardboard tube around the knife against his back as you stabbed him. By holding the tube in place as you pulled the knife out, you could avoid getting any blood on yourself. That's why you chose a long knife. Otherwise, you couldn't have stabbed him through the tube. A little blood's bound to come through the tube, but as long as you don't point the opening to yourself, you're okay. Instead, those of us sitting in front of the tube got blood all over us. Then you returned to the bathroom and waiting for the lights to come back on, flushed the toilet paper wrapped around your arms, and stuck the tube you used back inside the toilet paper. Then you removed the tape from the peephole and stuck it back on the gift and came out of the bathroom.”

“No, you may have removed the tape before the lights came on.” Amuro interjected. “By folding the end of the tape over and making it easier to grab, you could've removed it in the dark. If the bathroom lights came back on first and someone saw the peephole, they might have noticed that there was something stuck to it. Either way, the middle of the toilet paper was sticking out slightly. That's a sure sign the tube was forced inside it afterwards. I think the police would find Anzai-san's blood and your fingerprints on it.”

“This can't be true, Ozumi.” Nagasaki gasped.

“Ozumi-kun, you'd never stab Tengo.” even Yamashita was shocked.

“It annoyed me.” Ozumi hissed. “Why do you call your boyfriend 'Ozumi-kun', when you call Anzai by his given name?”

“Because we're childhood friends.” Yamashita voiced.

“You're not just childhood friends, are you?” Ozumi accused. “There must a reason for it.”

“I...” Yamashita looked away.

“See?” Ozumi sneered. “You can't say it. I'm sure he's your ex or something. But I had to hurt him because you were keeping secrets from me. Honestly, I was scared since the knife wen deeper than I expected.”

“You're wrong.” Conan cut in. “They're probably...”

“Half siblings.” Fumio added. “Didn't Yamashita-san say she was keeping a secret to protect someone?”

“And that you didn't think you had any secrets as a child?” Conan asked. “The reason you said 'someone' instead of Tengo is because you meant someone related to Anzai-san.”

“Or in this case, Anzai-san's father, the Dietman, Anzai Noboru-san.” Fumio concluded.

“If it wasn't a secret when you were kids, but became one when you grew up, it would mean a career ending scandal for a Dietman.” Conan surmised. “In other words, Yui-san's his lover's secret lovechild. It's what Heiji-nii-chan said.” he stammered, noticing both Inspector Megure and Takagi looking intently at him.

“Is that true?” Ozumi gaped.

“Yes.” Yamashita nodded. “While my parents argued over compensation, they would leave me and Tengo to play together. We became close.”

“You're lying.” Ozumi stuttered. “I don't believe this. You're not all pulling my leg, are you? A phone call?” he looked at his ringing cellphone. “Who is it?” he took the call.

“That hurt, damn it!” Anzai shouted down the receiver. “I'm gonna kill you the next time I see you. My behavior was hardly worth of praise.” he admitted. “I can see how you got the wrong idea. In any case, I sent Yui's birthday video to your phone. Check it out. I was going to turn up the volume so you could hear it in the bathroom. Later.” he hung up. “You'd better come visit me.”

“No...” Anzai fell to his knees, sobbing when he played the video and heard the confession.

“You should've tried talking to him before stabbing him.” Hattori snorted. “Wait, I don't have time for this.” he exclaimed, looking at his watch. “I've gotta go to Kinza Block 4.”

“We're not going to Kinza.” Kazuha cut in, opening the cafe door. “We're going to Tokyo Station. If we don't hurry, we'll miss our train home.” she pulled Hattori off.

“We still need to question him about the case.” Takagi blinked at the disappearing pair. “I guess we could interview the people who are still here. Wait, what? Wada Shinichi-san is missing. He was here until a moment ago. There was a strange man by that name claiming to be a medical professional.”

“It could've been an alias.” Ami reasoned. “Wasn't the Doctor Watson in the Meiji Era Japanese version of Sherlock Holmes named Wada Shinichi?”


	59. The New Teacher's Skeleton Case, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Some time later...

“Sorry for making you help me during your lunch break.” the new teacher assistant, Wakasa Rumi apologized to the Detective Boys, the five kids from Class 1-B had also pulled Fumio out.

“Not at all.” Mitsuhiko assured. “We should help each other out.”

* * *

“Wow, it really is in shambles.” Genta gawked at the rundown shed.

“There isn't even a lock on the door.” Mitsuhiko noted.

“It didn't have one ten years earlier.” Conan muttered.

“How would you know that?” Fumio asked, overhearing.

“Ran-nee-chan told me.” Conan stammered.

“Whatever.” Haibara started. “They should just tear it down.”

“The principal mentioned that they couldn't because of the feng shui or something on the day of the graduation.” Conan voiced. “At his entrance ceremony address.” he corrected himself.

“Didn't you transfer halfway through the year?” Fumio reminded.

“Is that right?” Conan gaped. “In any case, let's get inside and look for the lime.”

“What are you dong, Conan?” Genta asked, the bespectacled boy suddenly stopped short in front of the doors. “Does it not open?”

“I'm opening it now.” Conan replied.

“It's pitch black.” Ayumi peered into the shed.

“It's no use.” Haibara tried the light switch to no avail. “The light bulb is dead.”

“I'll go get a flashlight.” Wakasa-sensei offered.

“That's quite all right.” Mitsuhiko voiced. “We have these.” he revealed the wristwatches.

“Those are awfully convenient.” Wakasa-sensei noted, seeing the lit torchlights.

“It's time for the Detective Boys to search for lime.” Mitsuhiko declared.

* * *

“I found a schedule.” Ayumi picked up a piece of paper from the floor.

“It looks pretty old.” Mitsuhiko noted. “The paper is really worn.”

“There are lots of blank spaces.” Ayumi added.

“Maybe they didn't finish filling it in?” Genta suggested.

_A trapdoor leading down?_ Conan's flashlight shone on a trapdoor. _Some of the rust was just recently worn off. Did someone open it recently?_

“Conan, what is it?” Fumio approached the other boy.

“Is it an entrance to a basement?” Mitsuhiko wondered.

“Maybe that's where...” Ayumi stammered.

“They got trapped.” Mitsuhiko swallowed.

“And the dead teacher's...” Genta gaped.

“Skeleton.” Haibara finished. “We're joking.” she assured the frightened Wakasa-sensei.

“Fumio, help me open it.” Conan instructed.

“There really was a skeleton...” Genta muttered after the two boys lifted the metal hatch and Conan's flashlight shone on the skeleton lying against a stack of vaulting boxes.

“Genta, hold the door.” Conan instructed as he and Fumio hurried down.

“Wakasa-sensei, please call the police.” Fumio requested.

“How does it look, you two?” Haibara asked after Wakasa-sensei ran off.

“Looks like they died quite some time ago.” Fumio examined the skeleton. “Based on the condition of the bones and the surroundings,” he looked around. “It's probably about five, no, ten years ago.”

_There's something in its right hand._ Conan's flashlight shone on a strip of paper with characters written on it. _A string?_ He took the paper. _No, a sports day headband?_

“Edogawa-kun, is something wrong?” Haibara noticed Conan's stunned look.

_These characters look familiar..._ Conan mused. _I think..._ his mind flashed back to about ten years ago. _A sealing string?_

* * *

“Looks like the body is about ten years old.” Inspector Shiratori confirmed, the forensics team was carrying the skeleton out. “They didn't have any identification on them, but they were probably a thief. There was a large crack on the back of the skull and it looks like they were carrying a large bag of lime. They probably lost their footing while trying to steal the bag of lime and died when they stuck the back of their head on the vaulting box at the bottom of the stairs. There are no signs of foul play, so unfortunately, we'll be leaving now.”

“Okay.” Kobayashi-sensei nodded.

“Aw, shucks.” Genta whined. “So, it's not a case.”

“It's been ten years since the police last came here.” Principal Uematsu approached the group.

“Principal.” Kobayashi-sensei blinked. “What happened ten years ago?”

“Four thieves broke into the home of of a wealthy man who lived in the area.” Principal Uematsu replied. “They murdered the man and fled with 200 million yen worth of gold ingots they found in the house. That same night, someone saw several suspicious figures enter Teitan Elementary School. So, the police came to investigate.”

“Were the thieves arrested?” Conan asked.

“No, not that I've heard.” Principal Uematsu answered. “No evil deed goes unpunished. They're probably living in fear or have died somewhere.” with that, he walked off.


	60. The New Teacher's Skeleton Case, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

After classes...

“Even if you apply the Japanese alphabet vertically instead of horizontally to the key, you still get 'yuteshiriso', 'utsuawoko', 'movunimua'.” Conan pondered over the code he had deciphered.

“Maybe it's not the Japanese alphabet but the English alphabet?” Haibara suggested.

“The English alphabet has 26 characters.” Fumio reminded. “Most of the 49 spaces would be left empty.”

“I suppose you're right.” Haibara concurred.

“The other things that's bothering me are these X's drawn here and there on the chart.” Conan referred back to the code. “What do they mean?”

* * *

“I'm disappointed, though.” Ayumi admitted, claiming her shoes from the locker. “We couldn't crack the code.”

“Who cares?” Haibara shrugged. “I doubt there's any point in cracking the code we found in the hand of a thief who died in an accident ten years ago.”

“That was quick.” Mitsuhiko gawked, looking at his phone. “There's already a story online about the skeleton we found in the storage shed. They even included a photo of the headband with the code. They're calling it a 'mysterious code'.”

“Kids...” Wakasa-sensei started. “The teacher of another class asked me to get some lime for their science class tomorrow. I saw three lime markers next to the skeleton in the storage shed. There's probably still lime inside those.”

“So?” Haibara pressed.

“So, if you don't mind...” Wakasa-sensei stammered.

“Yeah, yeah.” Conan sighed. “You want us to come with you because you're scared, right?”

“Well, yes.” Wakasa-sensei admitted.

* * *

“Sorry for making you come with me again.” Wakasa-sensei apologized.

“In any case, let's get the lime and leave before it gets dark.” Conan reminded. “This room has been ransacked.” he opened the door and looked into the shed.

“Could forensics have left this mess while investigating?” Mitsuhiko wondered.

“No, they weren't investigating.” Conan corrected.

“It's more like...” Fumio shone his wristwatch torchlight around .”They're finding something.”

“Could someone have come after the police left?” Haibara guessed.

“Mitsuhiko, what time was that news story posted?” Conan asked.

“Two hours ago.” Mitsuhiko replied.

“There would be plenty of time to come here after seeing the code online.” Fumio mused.

“Wait, that means...” Haibara gasped.

“The guy who wrote that code may have died ten years ago, but the purpose of the code still lives.” Conan concluded.

“Then, we have to solve the code.” Mitsuhiko insisted.

“Let's check the basement where we found the skeleton first.” Conan cut him off. “The person who searched the storage shed could be hiding down there.”

“Wakasa-sensei, could you open the door?” Fumio requested.

“I'm opening it.” Wakasa-sensei informed.

“The basement hasn't been ransacked.” Fumio noted, Conan shining his wristwatch torchlight into the basement.

“So, they haven't been down here to search.” Conan remarked.

“Or they noticed us coming.” Haibara added.

“And ran away.” Conan finished and walked down the staircase. “They wouldn't be able to run if we discovered them in the basement. Maybe they're planning to return once the students and teachers leave and it's dark outside to resume their search for something.

“So?” Haibara questioned. “What is this 'something'?”

“Guess we'll have to crack the code to find out.” Fumio shrugged. “Let's just carry the lime out first.”

“Today was the worst.” Wakasa-sensei sighed. “I want to go home, have a drink and go to sleep.”

“Wakasa-sensei, you drink?” Ayumi blinked.

“Yes, I do.” Wakasa-sensei replied. “M favorite is whiskey. One glass and I can sleep with an Ebisu-like smile on my face.”

With the hints Wakasa-sensei had unwittingly provided, Conan's brain went into overdrive.

“Who's there?” Haibara suddenly sensed someone behind them. “I thought I saw someone watching us from behind the entrance door. Maybe it was my imagination.”

“No, maybe not.” Fumio remarked as Conan exited from the basement.

“If I'm right, after the police collected that skeleton from the basement and left, someone ransacked this storage shed in search of something.” Conan reasoned. “The ones who murdered the wealthy man ten years ago and stole 200 million yen worth of gold ingots; that very some group of thieves.”

“Does that mean you cracked the code?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“Yeah, because of what Wakasa-sensei said earlier.” Conan replied. “Ebisu and whiskey.” he clarified after Wakasa-sensei set the trapdoor down. “Long ago, those words were written...” he wrote down on his notebook. “Like this.” he showed the group the two lines.

“These are..” Fumio recognized the characters. “Characters from the Iroha poem.”

“That's right.” Conan nodded. “The katakana 'a' with a line under it is a 'ye', the character that looks like the 'i' in 'ido' is 'wi'. So if you apply the Iroha characters to the code instead of the modern alphabet, you get this.” he showed them the completed grid.

“I see.” Haibara realized. “The obsolete 'ye' and 'wi' characters correspond to the spaces marked with 'X' and the last 'X' is a leftover space.”

“And if you read the code using this chart, you get 'Wakemaeha youishita. Sugunikoi. (Your shares are ready. Come immediately.)” Conan decoded. “That skeleton belongs to the boss of the thieves who met here. He exchanged the ingots for cash and had their shares ready. And ten years later, after seeing the the news story and realizing their boss prepared their shares before his accidental death, they came here to look for it, thinking the cash could still be inside this storage shed. I found heaps of cash in the lime inside the line markers in the basement.”

“But, couldn't he have emailed them?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“If they'd emailed, that would have led the police to the money if they were arrested.” Haibara answered.

“In any case, we should tell the police.” Wakasa-sensei suggested.

“We may not want to tell them about the money yet.” Conan pointed out. “If the police acts, the thieves won't come back here. So, we'll round them up first. Just like Holmes did in the Dancing Men story.”

* * *

Later that night...

“Sheesh...” hiding behind the shed, Conan deathpanned at the group gathered behind him. “I told you guys not to come.”

“Yeah, but...” Ayumi whined.

“It's not fair for you to come alone.” Genta complained.

“But the guys coming are...” Conan reminded.

“If it's necessary, I'll protect you.” Inspector Shiratori cut in.

“I'm surprised the police sent anyone on the basis of such uncertain information.” Haibara noted.

“Well, actually...” Inspector Shiratori blinked. “It's a direct order from the Security Bureau. I think this cold case is also sitting in your mother's 'Unresolved Cases' tray, Fumio.”

“Conan, what did you write on the code anyway?” Fumio asked.

“'I'll be waiting in the basement at midnight today'.” Conan replied. “'Let's meet for the first time in ten years.' I think.”

“I think?” Fumio echoed.

Haibara hushed the group up when she heard footsteps.

“Where are you, boss?” one of the three robbers asked, opening the shed's door and entering the shed.

“How could you?” the second thief chided. “We haven't heard from you in ten years.”

“We thought you ran off with the money.” Thief Number Three remarked.

“Come to think of it, the code said he'd be waiting in the basement.” the first thief reminded. “Answer me.” he lifted the trapdoor. “You're down there, aren't you? A flashlight?” he spotted the torchlight resting on the staircase. “What's that doing there?”

“You down there?” the first and second thieves descended down the staircase. “Quit hiding and come on out.”

“Stay where you are!” Kazumi ordered, his shotgun trained on the two thieves.

“This is as far as you go!” Ami's service gun was also pointed at the two robbers. “Back off slowly and put your hands in the air!”

“Police?” the two thieves were shocked. “It's a trap!” before they could even run, both Kazumi and Ami sprung into action, each taking a thief and had them pinned against the wall with their hands locked behind their backs.

Outside, Inspector Shiratori had already taken care of the third robber when the two Security Bureau officers exited the basement with their captives. “Kazumi-san, Mizuno-senpai.” he greeted the two superior officers.

“Good work, Shiratori.” Ami nodded.

“Kaa-san?” Fumio peeked into the shed and was surprised to see his mother.

“Fumio, place a call to Inspector Megure.” still in business mode, Ami instructed. “Now!”

“Yes!” Fumio nodded and made the call.


	61. The Woman With White Hands, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Sometime later...

“The folding screen!” Wakasa-sensei exclaimed in horror, the dirtied water she was about to change to clean water had splashed onto the painted tiger.

“Oh no.” Kobayashi-sensei gaped at the destroyed paper. “What should we do?”

“I'll repaint it immediately.” Wakasa-sensei assured. “But I took the photo of the tiger I used for reference home.”

“I know it's a lot ask,” Kobayashi-sensei started. “But could you repaint it once you get home today and bring it in tomorrow?”

“But then, I won't be sure if the tiger is the right size for Conan-kun's body.” Wakasa-sensei pointed out.

“In that case, want me to come over to your place?” Conan offered.

“We'll help you color it.” Mitsuhiko added. “How about we have Fumio come with us, too? He's really a great sketcher.”

* * *

That evening...

“You live in a high-rise apartment, Wakasa-sensei?” Mitsuhiko gushed once the group was traveling up the elevator.

“It's just like Fumio and Ayumi-chan's place.” Genta noted, once the lift stopped at the right floor.

“Mizuno-san and Yoshida-san live in a high-rise, too?” Wakasa-sensei wondered.

“Yeah.” Ayumi answered for the two of them.

“This way.” Wakasa-sensei led the kids to her apartment unit.

“She's wearing a lot of makeup.” Mitsuhiko noted, seeing the long-haired blond woman storm off after ringing the doorbell of Wakasa-sensei's neighbor and not receiving any response.

“Looks like she had some business with Wakasa-sensei's neighbor.” Fumio remarked.

“What does your neighbor do?” Conan asked the assistant TA.

“I think he's some kind of sports athlete.” Wakasa-sensei replied. “I've only seen him a few times, so I don't know him well.”

* * *

“It's done!” Ayumi declared, putting the finishing touches on the redrawn tiger.

“It's even better than the last one.” Genta remarked.

“Now we just have to glue it to cardboard once the paint dries.” Haibara stated.

“In that case, to thank you for helping me, I'll make you some omu-rice.” Wakasa-sensei stood up to prepare the late night snack.

“Your neighbor is awfully loud.” Haibara deathpanned, hearing the blaring music from the other side of the wall.

“I hear it all the time.” Wakasa-sensei replied. “Apparently, he plays music on a timer instead of setting an alarm.”

“It's not stopping though.” Conan pointed out.

“That's odd.” Wakasa-sensei noted. “Normally, it stops pretty quickly.”

“Could something have happened?” Fumio wondered and springing Conan into action.

* * *

“It's unlocked.” Genta turned the door handle. “So, he is home. It must that that stereo.” he ran into the living room. “How do you turn this thing off? I'll just unplug this.” he pulled the stereo plug out of the socket.

“What's wrong, Genta?” Conan asked, seeing the over-sized boy's shocked expression and turned to the direction Genta was looking at and saw the bludgeoned Iiyama Kurumi and Banno Teigo.

“Damn, that's loud.” Banno winced, sitting up. “Who are you kids?” he spotted the Detective Boys. “And you shouldn't come barging into people's home uninvited.”

“Next to you.” Mitsuhiko pointed.

“What is this?” Banno stumbled back, seeing the dead Iiyama on the floor.

“Looks like someone bludgeoned her to death.” Fumio rested his fingers ton Iiyama's neck to feel for a pulse.

“Wakasa-sensei, call the police.” Conan looked at his teacher.

“Come to think of it, a strange woman zapped me in my doorway.” Banno voiced.

“You have something on your right cheek.” Haibara pointed out. “See?” switching her phone camera to selfie mode, she showed Banno the additional drawing on his face. “It's written in red.”

“'I love you?'” Banno gaped.

“Did you make the dead woman write that?” Mitsuhiko demanded.

“This isn't Kurumi's handwriting.” Banno protested. Spotting two Polaroid photos near his feet, he picked them up. “It's her.” he stammered. “She did it. Look.” he turned the photo to the children. “This woman with white hands wrote it. After knocking me out and killing Kurumi.”

* * *

“It's true.” Banno insisted, after Inspector Megure's team arrived to the scene. “You have to believe me, officers. A strange woman suddenly showed up at my place this evening. The moment I opened the door, she zapped me with a stun gun and knocked me out. When I came to, these kids were in my apartment and yelling. They told me to look next to me, so I did. That's when I saw my girlfriend, Kurumi, on the floor, bleeding from her head.”

“I see.” Takagi noted. “By the way, what about those red letters on your right cheek?”

“That strange woman wrote this.” Banno replied. “This Polaroid that was on the floor next to me proves it. Look.” he pointed to the photo. “This woman with white hands is writing on my cheek.” “Kurumi was supposed to come to my place at 6.30pm. She must've entered without realizing that strange woman was inside. And that woman killed her when they ran into each other.”

“An imaginary girlfriend.” Haibara stated. “I've seen it on TV and magazines. Men put foundation and nail polish on their hands and take selfies to make it look like they have girlfriends. Maybe that's how you took that photo.”

“What are you talking about?” Banno retorted. “Look closely. My right hand is behind my head. And I couldn't write this clearly on my own face.”

“Then, maybe you made that woman write that on your face before killing her.” Mitsuhiko insisted.

“Don't be ridiculous!” Banno snapped. “There was another photo. Look. She took a photo before she wrote on my face. Kurumi couldn't have written it. Anyway, officers, can I erase this writing on my face? It's creeping me out.”

“Once forensics have taken photos.” Inspector Megure assured. “Do you remember what the woman who knocked you out with a stun gun looked like?” he questioned.

“Yeah, but since I lost consciousness almost instantly, I only got a quick look at her.” Banno replied. “She was wearing a broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses. She was wearing a lot of makeup.”

“We saw her standing in front of the door to this apartment.” Ayumi voiced.

“She rang the doorbell a bunch of times.” Genta confirmed.

“When she realized he wasn't home, she banged on the door and clicked her tongue.” Mitsuhiko supplied.

“Come to think of it, she had a scrunchy on her right hand like the woman in the photo.” Haibara added.

“That's it.” Banno agreed. “That's her.”

“She was relatively tall.” Conan remarked.

“Right about your height.” Fumio stated.

“Did you recognize the woman?” Takagi asked.

“I had my first win the other day and published a photo collection.” Banno recalled. “I've had a sudden increase in weird fans.”

“First win?” Takagi echoed. “Are you the professional golfer, Banno Teigo-san? Then the murdered woman is the model you were rumored to have been dating...”

“Yeah, Iiyama Kurumi.” Banno confirmed.

“Is she famous?” Inspector Megure asked.

“Yes.” Takagi nodded. “Her father's a lawyer; she was being promoted as a socialite model.”

“By the way, why did the murdered Iiyama-san come here?” Inspector Megure inquired.

“She was just coming here to hang out.” Banno replied. “She's my girlfriend. Nothing wrong with that, right?”

“You were breaking up.” Wakasa-sensei cut in. “Right?”

“I've been wondering, but who are you?” Takagi blinked.

“I'm their assistant homeroom teacher, Wakasa Rumi.” Wakasa-sensei introduced herself.

“And what's their assistant homeroom teacher doing here?” Inspector Megure asked.

“I actually live next door.” Wakasa-sensei replied. “Today, the children helped me paint the screen we're using in a play tomorrow. We herd loud music coming from next door. Normally, it stops immediately, but today it kept on playing. So when Fumio-kun suggested that something might have happened, we came to check things out and found the door unlocked. And that's how we ended up here.”

“What do you mean by breaking up?” Inspector Megure was more interested in Wakasa-sensei's previous statement.

“This morning, on my way to school, I passed by this apartment.” Wakasa-sensei answered. “I heard the two of them arguing. I think he said he wasn't taking her with him on his international tour. And she demanded he pay her damages for breaking up with her. He said he'd cook for her so they could talk about it tonight. So she asked him to make paella. And he said it would be their last supper.”

“Their last supper?” Inspector Megure gaped.

“Excuse me,” Wakasa-sensei gasped. “I may have misheard them.”

“You haven't cooked anything, though.” Conan noted, he and Fumio were going through the items in the refrigerator. “We don't smell any food when we entered the apartment. The refrigerator is empty, too.”

“I was just about to go out to buy ingredients when the strange woman knocked me out.” Banno voiced. “And stop messing around in my kitchen.”

“But when the strange woman rang your doorbell, you were out, right?” Conan inquired, backing off to let Fumio close the refrigerator door. “You should've bought the ingredients on your way home.”

“I do what I want.” Banno retorted.

“In any case, see if any of the other residents have seen the woman.” Inspector Megure instructed. “And Wakasa-sensei, could you return to your apartment with the children?” he requested, after sending Takagi off.

* * *

“What is this smell?” Haibara took a whiff of the air.

“It smells like the cosmetics section of a department store.” Ayumi noted.

“Did Wakasa-sensei spill some of her cosmetics?” Haibara wondered. “It's coming from Kojima-kun's right hand.” she followed the scent trail to Genta's hand.

“I knew it.” Conan ran over and sniffed Genta's hand.

“Knew what?” Genta gaped. “I'm not wearing any makeup.”

“I'm talking about the culprit.” Conan corrected. “The culprit who killed the model Iiyama Kurumi-san is the professional golfer, Banno Teigo.”


	62. The Woman With White Hands, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“But like he said, his right hand was behind his head in the Polaroid.” Mitsuhiko pointed out. “It's hard to imagine someone could write so clearly on their face.”

“That's the thing.” Conan agreed. “I haven't solved that thing yet.” _what's this piece of paper?_ He spotted the tab of a receipt peeking out from under a cushion. _A convenience store receipt? It's dated this morning._ “Come to think of it Wakasa-sensei,” he voiced. “You were late this morning, which was unusual. Why?”

“Why?” Wakasa-sensei echoed. “When I checked my fridge as I was leaving this morning, I noticed it was empty. I rushed to the convenience store to buy more groceries. When I go shopping after school, most things are sold out. Don't tell the other teachers.” she reminded.

* * *

“Inspector Megure!” Takagi reported back. “There really was a woman wearing a broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses. Several of the residents saw her. The security camera footage also captured her riding up and down several times. He face was hidden by the hat, though.”

“We found the weapon.” Inspector Megure stated. “It was the five iron in Banno-san's golf bag. Also inside Iiyama-san's bag was the camera believed to have been used to take the Polaroid and the pen used to write the note. Unfortunately, the culprit's fingerprints weren't on either of them.”

“Was this really the work of a crazy fan like Banno-san claims?” Takagi wondered.

“We'll pursue that possibility for now.” Inspector Megure concluded. “Takagi, go to Banno-san's management agency and check his fan letters for anyone whose handwriting matches the 'I love you' note.”

* * *

“What are you doing, Haibara-san?” Fumio blinked, seeing Haibara draw on her cheek using her phone screen as a reflective surface.

“She's trying to see if she can write on her own face by using her phone as a mirror.” Ayumi replied.

“There are apps that make your screen reflective.” Haibara added. “I'm using one of those to write on my cheek. But it's not working. What?” she twitched when Conan and Mitsuhiko burst out laughing.

“Ai-chan, it looks like you have a spiral on your cheek.” Ayumi whispered.

“This is a permanent marker!” Haibara gasped in shock, giving the maker pen a closer look.

Fumio just sighed, “Wakasa-sensei,” he turned to the assistant homeroom teacher. “I don't suppose you have some rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball lying around, do you?”

“I do.” Wakasa-sensei nodded. “Oh dear.” she spotted Genta lying on the repainted screen. “Looks like Genta-kun got tired and fell asleep.”

“Genta-kun, wake up!” Ayumi urged.

“You're sleeping on the tiger painting Wakasa-sensei and Fumio worked so hard to recreate.” Mitsuhiko agreed.

“Sorry.” Genta yawned and sat up.

“Genta-kun, you look like a tiger.” Ayumi giggled, seeing the paint being stuck on Genta's cheek.

“Your sweat must have dissolved the paint and made it stick to your cheek.” Mitsuhiko reasoned.

“It's okay.” Wakasa-sensei assured. “This should be easy enough to fix.”

“Don't touch it.” Haibara chided. “I'll wipe it off for you.”

_I see._ Conan grinned. _I was overthinking it._

* * *

“Anyway, the killer is that woman with the broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses.” Banno argued. “It was probably that woman in the photo with white hands. Hurry up and find her.”

“They'll never find her.” Conan cut in. “Because that woman is Banno-san.”

“Please Wakasa-sensei.” Inspector Megure sighed. “We need you to wait in your room until we contact you.”

“But, these children claimed to have figured something out.” Wakasa-sensei reasoned.

“Figured something out?” Inspector Megure echoed.

“It's Genta's hand.” Conan pulled Genta's hand under the Inspector's nose. “Try smelling it. Doesn't it smell like something?”

“You're right.” Inspector Megure agreed. “It smells like cosmetics.”

“That's right.” Conan nodded. “That's the smell of the foundation that women use when doing their makeup.”

“What's that doing on Genta-kun's hand?” Inspector Megure wondered.

“Remember how we said we came into this room and found the body because the music won't stop?” Conan reminded. “It got on Genta's hand when he pushed the door to get inside. And if you're wondering what that was doing on the door, it's because the woman saw banged on the door, too. Sensei, do women put foundation on their hands?”

“No, not normally.” Wakasa-sensei replied.

“Then, maybe the suspicious woman we saw was a dark-skinned man wearing foundation to make himself paler, and pretending to be a woman.” Conan reasoned.

“But what makes me that man disguised as a woman?” Banno demanded. “I'm just dark-skinned.”

“Because when we first met you, you said two strange things.” Conan responded.

“Banno-san, you still have something on your face.” Fumio pointed out.

“Where is it?” Banno blinked, fingers touching his cheek. “What's on my face?”

“See?” Conan pointed. “Normally when someone tells you have you something on your face, you unconsciously try to touch it. Isn't that what you did, Genta?”

“Yeah.” Genta nodded. “You'd be curious what color it was and how much of it was on you.”

“But, you didn't.” Conan turned back to Banno. “So your fingers wouldn't smudge the words you've written.”

“I see.” Inspector Megure noted. “So you knew there were words written on your cheek that would become an important piece of evidence later.”

“No.” Banno protested. “It's not that I knew. I just thought so instinctively. Since Kurumi was bleeding on the floor, I thought there might be something bad on me.”

“In that case, do you know what this is?” Conan brought out a piece of paper with the 'love' character written on it.”

“It's the character of love.” Banno replied. “What of it?”

“You don't know?” Conan gaped. “One of Iiyama-san's fans uploaded the signature they received at one of her events. I traced and enlarged the character for love that she wrote.”

“When I used my phone as a mirror to show you the message on you cheek, remember what you said?” Haibara asked.

“You said it wasn't the dead woman's handwriting.” Mitsuhiko answered. “But you don't even know what her real handwriting looks like.”

“This is Kurumi's handwriting, huh?” Banno peered closely at the word. “I did think it looked similar. But like I said the 'love' Kurumi wrote and the 'love' on my cheek were written by two different people. It's obvious enough it's not Kurumi's handwriting.”

“So you can tell?” Conan was surprised. “In that case...” he turned around and had the others hold out five different sheets of paper with the character of 'love' written in reverse. “Do you know which of these is Kurumi-san's? You looked at the mirrored characters reflected on the phone and instantly knew it wasn't Kurumi-san's handwriting. But it's hard to tell whose it is when reversed, even if it's familiar.”

“It was just a feeling.” Banno snapped. “I just had a feeling it wasn't hers. Officer, the photo. In any case, the important thing is this Polaroid the killer took.” he snatched the photo away. “Look. My right hand is behind my hand, so the white woman's hand in the front isn't mine. Plus, I couldn't have written so clearly on my own face. If you think I did it, tell me how I took this photo.”

“Mitsuhiko, ready?” Genta asked, the other moving aside.

“Yes.” Mitsuhiko nodded. “Go ahead and fall like Conan told us.”

“Just watch.” Conan took over after Genta and Mitsuhiko positioned themselves accordingly. “When you frame the scene like this, doesn't Mitsuhiko's left hand look like Genta's right hand?”

“I see.” Inspector Megure noted. “If you hid her fingertips behind your head, your girlfriend's left hand could have looked like your own right hand.”

“But our skin colors and sleeves are different.” Banno reminded.

“That's relatively simple.” Fumio shrugged. “You can make Kurumi-san's skin look darker by using a dark foundation. As for her sleeve, you cut the sleeve off another similarly colored shirt and wrap it around her left hand under your head.”

“Then, what about this message?” Banno snapped. “Are you saying I wrote this on my own face?”

“You didn't write it.” Fumio corrected. “You simply pressed it onto your face, just like a stamp.”

“First, you wrote the words 'I love you' on a clear plastic file using permanent marker.” Conan continued, the girls using a green colored marker to write on the plastic cover. “Then you flipped it over and traced the words with a non-permanent marker.” Haibara turned the plastic sheet over and traced the sentence with a red marker. “After killing your girlfriend and taking a photo of yourself with nothing on your face, you created the stamp. Then you pressed the non-permanent marker side of the file onto your cheek.” Ayumi handed the plastic sheet to Genta who pressed the red writing onto his cheek. “See? Now it looks like the words were written on your cheek. Then, you colored your right hand white using foundation, applied nail polish and a scrunchy, held the pen and took a picture of yourself, creating that trick photo.”

“So, is this what happened?” Inspector Megure questioned. “Having decided to murder Kurumi-san, you disguised yourself as a woman and lurked outside your apartment to give the residents the impression that there was a suspicious woman stalking you. When Kurumi-san arrived, you killed her with your golf club and took the trick photo using the technique Conan just described. Then, you played loud music from your stereo so your neighbor, Wakasa-sensei, would come and discover the body, and showed us the trick photo so we would believe the suspicious woman did all this.”

“In other words,” Haibara concluded. “My initial theory about the imaginary girlfriend was right on the mark?”

“What about the proof?” Banno demanded.

“The proof's probably in that bag you're trying to take out of the apartment.” Conan replied. “The clear file, foundation, scrunchy, and sleeve you put on Kurumi-san's left hand. You wouldn't want anyone to see you leaving the apartment with those so you could throw them away.”

“Shall I take a look at your bag?” Inspector Megure requested.

“It was Kurumi's fault.” Banno hissed. “I wanted to go on my international tour with a blank state. But she demanded 100 million yen for breaking up with her.”

“I doubt your international tour would have gone well, anyway.” Conan stated. “You probably lost the favor of the god of golf the moment you used a club as a weapon.”

“What was that, you brat?” Banno hollered. “Move!” he made a run for it.

“Watch out!” Wakasa-sensei pushed the kids out of the way, her leg extended to trip Banno over. Turning, she slammed an elbow onto Banno's temple. “What?” she blinked when a camera flashed into her face.

“Is it true that there was a murder in the home of professional golfer, Banno Tengo-san?” a reported fired off his questions. “Who died? Do you have a suspect?”

“Hold on!” Inspector Megure hurried out of the unit to fend off the reporters. “Wait for the announcement for the details.”

“This guy did it.” Genta pointed to the unconscious Banno.

“So you were just subduing him?” a microphone was thrust into Wakasa-sensei's face.

“No, I just fell because he pushed me.” Wakasa-sensei explained.

“Could we get your name?” another microphone entered the scene.

“She's Teitan Elementary School Class 1-B's assistant homeroom teacher.” Mitsuhiko introduced.

“Wakasa Rumi-sensei.” Ayumi beamed.

* * *

The next day...

“Well, so much for keeping Fumio on a low profile.” Ami sighed, showing Amuro the news article. “Note to self: remind Fumio to read the riot act to the kids and inform them _not_ to diverge too much case information to the press.” she muttered.

“Now, that's a bit harsh.” Amuro stated.

Ami just shot him a deathpan 'Oh, really?' look.


	63. The Melting Cake!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“We are at the Professor's house right now.” Mitsuhiko confirmed after Conan contacted him over the Detective Badge. “You should come, too. We're flying the drone the Professor made. Apparently, it flies really high.”

“Professor, hurry.” Ayumi urged.

“That wasn't supposed to happen.” Fumio blinked when the drone suddenly took off into the air. “Guys, duck!” he shouted a warning, pulling Ayumi to the floor to dodge the runaway drone. Said drone then crashed into a wall and dropped in front of the children.

“What was that about?” Genta winced. “How does this thing work?”

* * *

“What happened, Mitsuhiko?” outside Poirot, Conan asked.

* * *

“The drone started flying on its own.” Mitsuhiko replied. “No one touched the controller.”

* * *

“It flew without anyone touching the controller?” Conan echoed.

* * *

“What is this?” Professor Agasa chided. “I told you not to fly it without me.”

“We didn't.” Ayumi protested.

“We didn't touch the controller.” Genta added.

“I just made this, too.” Professor Agasa sobbed, taking his damaged drone back in.

“It'll take time to fix that.” Haibara noted.

“But what about today?” Ayumi whined.

“Don't count on it.” Haibara replied. “It won't be able to fly today.”

“Anyway, the flight is being canceled.” Mitsuhiko informed Conan over the communication badge. “Where are you, Conan?”

* * *

“I'm at Poirot.” Conan replied.

* * *

“Poirot has this really yummy cake lately.” Ayumi gushed.

* * *

“We were just talking about that cake.” Conan interjected.

* * *

“It's not fair that you're the only one who gets the cake, Conan.” Genta complained.

“Then, we'll go get some cake, too.” Mitsuhiko suggested.

* * *

“But the cake is...” Conan stammered.

* * *

“There's no cake?” Genta pouted, looking at the chalkboard sigh hanging at the counter.

“You should've said so.” Mitsuhiko complained.

“I was trying to when you hung up.” Conan argued.

“But I was so excited.” Ayumi sighed.

“Sorry.” Azusa apologized.

“The electrician's fixing it right now.” Amuro explained. “It should be fine tomorrow.”

“I examined the refrigerator, and there's nothing wrong with it.” said electrician reported.

“Then, why are the cakes falling apart?” Azusa asked.

“Maybe...” Ayumi suddenly let out an exclaim.

“Maybe?” Fumio echoed.

* * *

“What's gotten into you, Ayumi?” Conan asked, when Ayumi led the Detective Boys out.

* * *

“Look at these cakes.” Ayumi pointed to a tray of displayed cakes in a nearby confectionery. “They look like the cake before it melts, don't they?”

“Are these cakes copies of Amuro-niisan's cakes?” Genta pressed.

“Keep your voice down, Genta.” Fumio hissed.

“It is suspicious, though.” Mitsuhiko agreed.

Fumio just sighed and forked out the amount required to purchase the cake.

* * *

“Dough that uses a lot of eggs is typically this color.” Amuro admitted, looking intently at the cut up cake.

“And if you apply the same amount of cream in the same way, it does look similar.” Conan added.

“So, it's not plagiarism?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“I don't think so.” Amuro noted. Stabbing a piece with a fork, he took a bite.

“It tastes completely different.” Azusa stated.

“Yeah, Poirot's cakes taste way better.” Ayumi agreed.

“That solves the mystery.” Genta declared. “That baker is breaking in during the night and destroying Amuro-niisan's cakes.”

“So they can't sell their cakes since they taste better?” Ayumi reasoned.

“That makes things simple.” Mitsuhiko announced.

“What's simple?” Fumio asked, dread creeping in.

“We'll conduct a stakeout tonight.” Mitsuhiko declared.

“Who?” Conan blinked.

“Us, of course.” Genta dug out his Detective Badge, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi following suit. “The Detective Boys.”

“You can't.” Azusa chided the enthusiastic children. “You're children.”

“It's all right.” Mitsuhiko assured. “We can do it.”

“Do you not care if you never get to eat Amuro-niisan's cake again?” Genta glared at Conan.

“That can't happen.” Ayumi insisted. “We have to catch the culprit.”

Both Conan and Fumio exchanged looks and sighed in resignation.

“I'm blaming you for this, Conan.” Fumio shot the bespectacled boy across him a look.

“Whatever.” Conan shrugged. “Azusa-san, can we set up a camera here tonight?”

“A camera here?” Azusa echoed.

“You don't need to do that.” Amuro argued.

“This is the store's problem.” Azusa agreed.

“But...” Ayumi pouted.

“Don't worry.” Amuro assured. “I'll feed all of you delicious cake soon.”

“Have you came up with a solution already, tou-san?” Fumio asked his father. “Or have you been experimenting again?”

“I've got an idea.” Amuro grinned at his son.

“Tou-san, you _do_ know kaa-san won't mind you borrowing her fridge space, right?” Fumio reminded.

Silence...

Fumio just sighed. _Adults..._

* * *

In class, the following week...

“I set up a camera watching Poirot for three days after that.” Conan informed the group as they watched the camera footage after school.

“We can't see the store.” Mitsuhiko noted, noticing the cafe window was fogged up.

“It's hard to tell from this video.” Conan mused. “It happened twice out of three days. The first time was for 11 seconds at 1 am on the 21st. The second time was 12 seconds at 2:26am today, the 23rd.”

* * *

“The 21st and today?” Azusa echoed, meeting up with the kids later. “Those are both days the cakes melted.”

“We knew it.” Mitsuhiko and Ayumi looked at each other.

“In other words, it's likely something happened during the time we couldn't see inside the store.” Conan reasoned.

“I know.” Ayumi piped in. “The culprit came in during the time and melted the cakes.”

“But the store was locked.” Azusa reminded.

“Are there any signs the lock was broken?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“No, there aren't.” Azusa answered.

“In other words, this is an impossible crime.” Mitsuhiko declared. “Or else the culprit's someone who has the key.”

“No way Azusa-neesan could've done it.” Fumio voiced.

“Fumio...” Mitsuhiko looked at the blond boy at the counter.

“In under _15 seconds_.” Fumio quirked a brow at the freckled boy.

“That's kind of true...” Genta agreed.

“Why am I the one who has to _point out the obvious_?” Fumio bemoaned.

“Hey, there's always a car passing by when we can't see inside the store.” Genta pointed out.

“Yeah.” Conan noted. “What of it?”

“It always passes by when we can't see inside the other stores, too.” Genta stated.

“Is that the culprit's car?” Ayumi asked.

“It's possible.” Mitsuhiko agreed. “Right, Conan?”

“Yeah, but cars pass by even on days when the cakes don't melt.” Conan stated. “We can't draw any conclusions from this.”

“But it happens every time the cakes melt.” Mitsuhiko pointed out.

“It must be connected.” Ayumi declared.

“Hey, Conan.” Fumio voiced. “Can you ask the Professor to make the car easier to see? I might have a plausible theory to explain this, but I need to ascertain what kind of car it is”

“Well, we don't any other clues.” Conan relented. “All right.”

* * *

The next day...

“Ayumi was right.” Conan declared. “The cakes melted when we couldn't see anything inside the store.”

“But why couldn't we see inside?” Ayumi wondered.

“Because the windows fogged up.” Conan answered.

“Why?” Mitsuhiko pressed.

“Because of this.” Fumio led the group behind the counter and pointed to the electric kettle. “This kettle expels steam when the water boils, doesn't it?”

“Is that what made the windows fog up?” Azusa blinked.

“Yup.” Fumio nodded.

“And this electric kettle is a loT appliance, right?” Conan asked.

“So you used your phone to boil the water.” Ran looked at the older woman.

“I got it.” Ayumi cut in. “She was turning the kettle on using her phone during the night.”

“That makes it possible to melt the cakes without being in the store.” Mitsuhiko added.

“It's not Azusa-neesan.” Fumio droned. “The culprit was reflected in the windows of the store.”

“We talked to the taxi driver of the car.” Conan confirmed. “Every night after midnight, he naps near Poirot. When he's radioed by dispatch, he passes by in front of Poirot. The window fogged up by the steam from the electric kettle makes it reflective like a mirror, reflecting the taxi passing in front of the store. When I examined the time he was radioed, it was the times the window fogged up. In other words, it matched the days the cakes melted.”

“So, did the taxi driver do it?” Genta pressed.

“To be more precise, the culprit is...” Fumio answered.

“The culprit is the taxi's radio.” Amuro cut in. “Right?”

“Yup.” Fumio nodded. “The kettle's electrical circuits were being activated by the taxi's radio. The frequency of the taxi's radio and the on/off switch of kettle matched coincidentally.”

“Is that possible?” Mitsuhiko blinked.

“It's called radio-frequency interference.” Amuro explained. “It happens all the time.”

“It's what happened to the drone that flew on its own at the Professor's.” Conan added. “You were talking to me with your badge, remember?”

“That's it.” Mitsuhiko gasped. “Our badges were causing radio-frequency interference with the drone.”

“Yeah.” Conan nodded. “These badges have a broad range, so their radio waves must be strong.”

“We'd better tell the Professor to change the drone's frequency, then.” Fumio suggested.

“And that radio-frequency interference was causing the cakes to melt.” Conan went back to the case on hand.

“How?” Azusa blinked.

“The kettle is always kept here, right?” Fumio asked. “And since the kettle expels steam when it boils, the hot vapor is drawn into the vent of the refrigerator and turning the fridge's insides into a sauna for the few seconds the windows are fogged up. That was what made the cakes melt and when they were refrozen that way...”

“Then, I'd better stop using this.” Azusa took the kettle.

“Couldn't you put it somewhere else?” Ran suggested.

“And I see tou-san's done with his experimental cake.” Fumio beamed at his father.

“But it's a slightly different cake now.” Amuro winked.

* * *

“It's a half-baked cake that's melted from the start.” Amuro presented his new creation.

“It looks like a shriveled cake.” Mitsuhiko noted.

“It's made that way on purpose.” Amuro explained. “But the sponge inside is cooked.” he cut the cake into half, letting the cream inside spill out.

“So, the solution you mentioned...” Fumio blinked at the older man.

“Yeah.” Amuro nodded. “With these, unlike cakes that are already frosted, I can store the cream and cake separately. I just have to add the cream and fruit before serving them to customers. And now, you can tell them apart from the cakes from that other bakery.”

“Hey!” Mouri entered the cafe. “You've got something tasty looking there.”

“In that case, why don't all of you try it?” Amuro beamed.

“That's right.” Mouri suddenly recalled the reason he was there. “I forgot why I came here. Here.” he handed the notice over to Azusa. “It's for next month's Tokyo Summit.”

“Those roads are going to be closed the day of the Summit.” Mouri explained.

“Azusa-san, I have told the manager, but I'm taking that day off.” Amuro informed his co-worker.

“Amuro-san.” Conan whispered to the older man. “Mizuno-san is also involved in the Summit's security, like you are, right? Then Fumio...”

“Ami would make the arrangements, I suppose.” Amuro wondered.


	64. Mystery of the Burning Tent, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“Okay, everyone.” Wakasa-sensei turned to the Detective Boys. “Could you go gather some firewood for dinner?”

“Don't run.” Haibara reminded, the group running off.

“Conan, there's someone like you.” Ayumi voiced.

“Someone like me?” Conan echoed.

“That guy over there.” Genta pointed.

“He's just like you.” Mitsuhiko noted.

“I told you.” Urushibara Fumiaki chided, as Ashizawa Sumito stirred the pot of curry over the stove. “Three more.” he held out three bandaged fingers. “The curry won't be thick enough unless you add in three more pieces of roux to the curry. You've got to add in at least two more.”

“I get it.” Ashizawa replied. “That's why Midori's out buying more right now.”

“I see.” Haibara noted. “It's those fingers. That's exactly what a certain someone influenced by his Gallicized mother does. This gesture means three, right?” she held out three fingers.

“Yeah, that's three.” Conan confirmed. “But this is two.” he held out his index finger and thumb.

“But that guy...” Ayumi blinked.

“He did two like us.” Genta stated.

“He represents three like this and two like this.” Conan gestured. “On top of that, his fingers are taped, which means... aren't you guys...” he approached the older group. “Basketball players?”

“I see.” Fumio nodded. “Basketball referees extend their pointer and middle fingers to represent two, but use their pointer fingers, middle fingers and thumbs to represent three, so as not to confuse with two. I've heard quite a lot of players pick up this habit.”

“That's amazing.” Furuoka Midori gaped. “You're exactly right.”

“Nothing less from an American transfer student.” Conan teased.

“I”m Furuoka Midori, manager of the Shiraami University basketball team.” Furuoka introduced herself. “The guy stirring the curry is the man who became our star player this year, Ashizawa Sumito.”

“What?” Ashizawa chided. “Don't call me that.” “I was riding the bench until last year.”

“But you've been approached by professional teams, right?” Urushibara stated. “The other day, a scout came to meet you before the game.

“It was a coincidence.” Ashizawa replied.

“I hope we'll still be friends even after you became famous.” Urushibara remarked. “I'm Urushibara Fumiaki, the cornerstone of our team's defense. I'm a stickler when it comes to defending and making curry.”

“And I'm Danno Kuninori.” Danno cut in. “The former ace who was blinded by the cornerstone of our defense.”

“Blinded?” Mitsuhiko gasped.

“I gently bumped him with my elbow during practice.” Urushibara answered.

“It wasn't gentle!” Danno snapped. “I nearly lost my sight. I almost got a glass eye.”

“Yeah, but because of that, you got closer to Midori, right?” Urushibara teased. “You should be thanking me.”

“Urushibara, that's going too far.” Ashizawa chided.

“Watch what you say, Ashizawa.” Urushibara warned. “I could crush you anytime I wanted. Just like Danno.”

“You bastard.” Danno hissed.

“I've had enough.” Urushibara stood up. “I knew I shouldn't have come. I'm going to drink, have some snacks and go to bed.” he retreated back into his tent. “Wake me up before you leave tomorrow.”

* * *

“Thank you for letting us join you.” Wakasa-sensei noted, the slightly enlarged group settled down for dinner.

“Don't worry about it.” Furuoka assured. “We just combined your ingredients with ours.”

“And food tastes better when you're sharing with a large group.” Danno added.

“Danno-san.” Fumio swallowed his spoonful of rice. “Have you considered wearing eye protection glasses?”

“That is a great idea.” Furuoka agreed. “You should consider getting a pair.” she nudged her boyfriend.

“It's no use.” Ashizawa returned to the group. “Urushibara's hiding in the tent and won't respond.”

“Maybe he's already gone to sleep.” Furuoka suggested. “He complained when I talked to him earlier. Here, Ashizawa.” she served up Ashizawa's portion.

“But his light is on.” Danno turned to Urushibara's tent.

“You're right.” Furuoka remarked.

“Looks like he's doing squats.” Danno observed.

“Come to think of it, Urushibara said he does them every night before bed.” Ashizawa stated.

“Ashizawa, can I have that curry?” Danno requested. “I'm going to take this over there.” he stood up.

“You're going to lure him out with the smell.” Furuoka realized.

“You can do it.” Ashizawa encouraged.

“Urushibara.” Danno stopped in front of the tent. “Sorry for picking a fight earlier. I know you didn't do it on purpose. It's not use.” he returned. “He's not responding. He's listening to music on his headphones while doing squats.”

“Do you smell something burning?” Haibara looked around.

“You're right.” Conan agreed.

“Look.” Genta gaped, spotting the raging fire. “The tent's on fire!”

“Isn't that Urushibara's tent?” Danno exclaimed.

“Water!” Conan sprung into action. “Everyone, get water.”

* * *

“Ai-chan, what happened to the man inside?” Ayumi asked, once the fire was put out.

“Don't!” Haibara insisted. “You don't want to see that.”

“But Mitsuhiko, why did the tent catch fire?” Genta gaped.

“Maybe the person in the next door saw something.” Mitsuhiko spotted the tent nearby. “Excuse me.” he and Genta hurried over.

“Sorry, I was sleeping with earplugs on.” Kuroda unzipped his tent flap.

“Managing Officer Kuroda!” Fumio gaped at his parents' former superior.

“But I can tell at a glance what's happening. Let's call the police immediately. Any objections, Wakasa Rumi-sensei?”

_What's with this very uncomfortable atmosphere?_ Fumio wondered.

“A tent caught fire, and a man is dead.” Wakasa-sensei noted, shaking herself out of her stupor. “It seems natural to me that we'd call the police. Why are you asking me? And how do you know my name?”

“You were glaring at me with such a fierce expression.” Kuroda explained. “I thought you had an objection.” “Because of this face, people often look away, but they rarely stare. And I saw your name in the news. 'Grade School Teacher Wakasa Rumi saves the day.' 'Subdues professional golfer'.”

* * *

“Sorry, Yuminaga.” Kuroda apologized, the Arson Inspector's team was called in. “I wasn't sure whether to call you or violent crime's Megure.”

“No problem, sir.” Yuminaga assured. “A fire is arson's job.”

“I see.” Kuroda nodded. “So, what's the situation?”

“The origin of the fire was the candle inside the lantern.” Yuminaga concluded. “It melted into the other candles scattered around it, so it's kind of a mess. The candle fell, igniting comic books and clothing. The fire spread quickly. Then, it enveloped the victim sleeping in the legless chair, burning everything. It seems the victim had quite a bit to drink.” he looked at the scattered beer cans. “The tent's entrance was zipped shut all the way. It even had a lock on it.” he showed the lock to his superior.

“So it wasn't arson.” Kuroda noted.

“No.” Yuminaga agreed. “I believe it was an accident.”

“But isn't it strange?” Fumio questioned.

“There's a strip of bamboo mixed with the melted candle.” Conan pointed out.

“That's probably one of the skewers from the dango the victim was eating.” Yuminaga noted. “I didn't notice you were here, Conan.”

“You're familiar with the Sleeping Kogoro's adviser?” Kuroda inquired.

“Yeah.” Yuminaga nodded. “He advised me before.”

“Not only that, if you look closely at the hardened candles, you can see a hole near the tip on one of them.” Fumio added. “And there's also a V-shaped burn on the magazine next to the laptop. Maybe someone set up some kind of mechanism.”

“Which means that person is one of you three who visited his tent one at a time.” Kuroda turned the university basketball team. “The first to visit his tent was Furuoka Midori-san. Next was Ashizawa Sumito-san. And finally Danno Kuninori-san, right?”

“Oh my.” Wakasa-sensei cut in. “Earlier, you said you were sleeping inside your tent with earplugs in. But you know the order in which they visited?”

“Actually, while nodding off, I was watching through a gap in my tent flap as you cheerfully ate your curry.” Kuroda replied.

“Was there someone who caught your interest?” Wakasa-sensei smiled.

“No.” Kuroda answered. “I had no particular reason for doing it.”

“No particular reason, huh?” Wakasa-sensei echoed.

“Yes.” Kuroda nodded. “Since my tent was next to the tent that burned, I remembered the faces and order of the people who came this way. But since I had earplugs in, I don't know what the three of them discussed with the victim.”

“And then, you went to sleep?” Wakasa-sensei asked. “Surely, you didn't ignore the tent engulfed in flames so you could observe the person you're so interested in, right?”

“No.” Kuroda replied. “I made the mistake of falling asleep. Though, since there was a grade school teacher present, I may have underestimated the situation and believed nothing serious would occur.”

“Is she a teacher?” Yuminaga turned to the two chibi-detectives beside him.

“Yeah.” Conan and Fumio nodded.

“She's our assistant homeroom teacher.” Conan added.

“So, why don't we ask you one by one again.” Kuroda turned back to the case in hand. “What did you discuss with the victim then? Let's start with Furuoka Midori-san who visited the victim's tent first.”


	65. Mystery of the Burning Tent, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“By the time I visited Urushibara's tent, he was already hammered.” Furuoka stated. “No matter what I said, he just shouted, 'Shut up, go away!' at me. We didn't have a proper conversation.”

“Were the lights inside the tent off, then?” Kuroda asked.

“Yes,” Fukuoka answered. “It was still lights out and he said he was going to read comics before going to sleep.”

“But why did he have some many candles inside his tent?” Yuminaga inquired. “No matter how you look at it, that's way too much.”

“It was his job to bring matches and candles.” Furuoka replied.

“In that case, was it also Urushibara-san's duty to bring all those comics?” Fumio asked.

“Those are mine.” Furuoka answered. “Urushibara said he wanted to read them while camping. But if I'd known those would happen, I would've dragged him out of the tent. I should've made him eat curry with us instead of reading comics.”

* * *

“When I visited the tent, he didn't respond, no matte how many times I call him.” Ashizawa told the two officers. “At first, I thought he was ignoring me, but after hearing Furuoka 's story, I thought he must've gotten drunk and fallen asleep. He never wakes up once he passes out from drinking. It's so bad, people would draw things on his face during training camps.”

“Wee the lights on inside the tent, then?” Kuroda inquired.

“I don't think so.” Ashizawa recalled. “But after I left his tent, the lights suddenly came on. He was doing squats inside the tent. He said he always did squats before going to bed.”

“We saw that, too.” Genta piped in. “He had his hands behind his head like this.” he demonstrated.

“He was repeatedly doing bending exercises.” Mitsuhiko added.

“We saw his shadow on the tent wall.” Ayumi added.

“If that's true, then that would mean the victim was still awake then.” Yuminaga mused.

“Yeah.” Kuroda agreed. “Which means the last person to visit the victim's tent...” he turned to Danno.

* * *

“Hold on.” Danno protested. “I didn't set Urushibara's tent on fire. When I went to his tent to lure him out with the smell of curry, he didn't say anything, just like when Ashizawa visited. I tried talking to him, but he just silently did his squats. I thought he was doing them while using headphone to listen to music or something. Now that I think about it, maybe he did hear me. It was like he was telling me to go away. His squatting movements got more and more intense.”

“Why did the victim Urushibara stay in his tent, instead of eating curry with everyone else?” Yuminaga inquired.

“We got into an argument.” Danno admitted. “He and I had a complicated relationship. During basketball practice, his elbow...”

“Furuoka-san,” Fumio looked at the older woman. “Is it true that Danno-san used to be the basketball team's ace?”

“Yeah, he was.” Furuoka nodded. “He received a lot of attention from professional teams for being able to dunk at his height. But...”

“If not for the injury he suffered to his right eye at Urushibara's hands, he may have ended up playing for a foreign team.” Ashizawa cut in. “But ironically, thanks to that injury, I was promoted from sub to starter. Now I'm the ace. And since Danno quit playing, he started spending more time with our manager, Furuoka-san, and now they're dating. Danno was always surrounded by groupies, but the moment he became a manager, every last one of them left.”

* * *

“Inspector Yuminaga.” one of the Arson Division's officers reported in. “It's about the tape on the victim's fingers you asked about. The surface was burnt but most of the adhesive side survived, so we removed it. We didn't find any trick or mechanism.”

“Inspector Yuminaga.” Conan voiced. “Could we see that photo? Did you notice something again?” he reclaimed the phone back.

“I could be confused.” Conan admitted. “Guys!” he ran back to the rest of the group.

“They've completely forgotten about the case, haven't they?” Fumio deathpanned.

“Sheesh.” Conan chided, approached the rest. “What are you doing?”

“Wakasa-sensei just showed us.” Genta informed.

“So, we've been making it together.” Mitsuhiko added.

“Look.” Ayumi held out her index finger with an acorn balanced on it and two smaller acorns keeping the larger acorn steady. “A balancing acorn.”

“Conan.” Fumio exchanged a knowing grin at the group leader.

“This is what that culprit used.” Conan nodded in agreement.

* * *

“Give us a break, Detective.” Danno complained. “We're not the ones who set fire to Urushibara's tent. We did visit his tent one by one before it caught fire, but he didn't answer any of us.”

“We all knew Urushibara was inside since we saw his shadow doing squats on the tent wall, bur we couldn't have set the tent on fire from the inside, unless we'd go inside.” Ashizawa added.

“And the zipper on the tent entrance was zipped all the way down and locked, right?” Furuoka reminded.

“Doesn't that make the tent a locked room?” Ashizawa argued.

“Urushibara was pretty drunk.” Furuoka admitted.

“Maybe he got drunk while doing squats and kicked the lantern over?” Danno suggested.

“But what if those candles could be used to create an automatic ignition device?” Kuroda prompted.

“That's absurd.” Danno objected.

“I think he would've noticed it immediately if there was something like that.” Furuoka agreed.

“By that time, Urushibara-san was probably already drunk and asleep.” Conan cut in. “If you think I'm lying, we'll show you how to make a sleeping man do squats and set his tent on fire.”

* * *

“First,” Conan explained, as Fumio set up the apparatus. “Stick a bamboo skewer into the end of the candle. Then drip wax from another candle onto it. And stick the candles together. Sandwich the candle between them so they make a straight line. Next, since we poked holes on the tops of candles set on top of the books, if you stick both ends of the skewer into the holes, the candle see-saw is complete. Now set fire to both ends of the stuck together candles. The side that burns faster will become lighter and rise. The side that falls will be exposed to a lot of flame, making it drip more wax. Now this end becomes lighter and rises. When you repeat the process...” he trailed as the extended candles started see-sawing. “If you use the books to block the flame on one side, only one flame can be see rising and falling. Take a look behind you.” he told the rest. “Our shadows on the tent are rising and falling, too.”

“I see.” Yuminaga noted. “By linking the victim's hands behind his head, sitting him in the legless chair and placing a large bag against the wall to cover his lower body, they used the rising and falling flame to make his shadow look like he's doing squats.”

“In other words, the strange V-shaped burn on the magazine was created because it was placed on top of the laptop in order to block the light from one end of the candle, and only the inside was exposed to the flame when it first caught fire.” Kuroda realized.

“Then, what about all the candles that melted together?” Yuminaga asked.

“The culprit probably scattered them next to the contraption beforehand in order to conceal their trick.” Kuroda guessed. “Finally, by knocking the laptop over with water while putting out the flames, they were able to reduce all evidence of their trick to ashes.”

“But that candle was just moving up and down.” Danno reminded.

“That wouldn't set fire to anything.” Furuoka agreed.

“It does.” Fumio corrected. “As time goes on, the movements of the contraption become more intense. Once you set some flammable clothes on the floor...”

“It caught fire.” Mitsuhiko gaped when the wool towel was set aflame.

“It's dangerous, so don't try this at home.” Haibara deathpanned, dousing the fire.

“Please don't break the fourth wall, Haibara-san.” Fumio gave the stern girl a calm look. “If we manage to scatter _that_ , the authoress might decide to put in a _fifth_ wall.”

“And how often do we do that?” Haibara asked, only to be met by a pair of deathpan looks from Conan and Fumio.

“Which means this trick...” Yuminaga returned to the case in hand. “Furuoka Midori-san, who claimed the light was out so the victim could sleep when she visited his tent, and Danno Kuninori-san, who visited the tent after the victim started doing squats, couldn't have set it up. Which means, the man claiming the lights were out when he visited the tent, but looking back after he left, saw that the victim had turned on the lights and begun doing squats, Ashizawa Sumito-san, you're the only one.”

“Is that true, Ashizawa?” Furuoka gasped.

“No.” Ashizawa protested. “Urushibara's tent was zipped all the way shut and locked, right? How could I have gotten inside?”

“The mud on your right elbow.” Kuroda replied. “When did that get there? Most likely, it happened while the victim was passed out, you made a cut in the tent with a sharp object and touched the ground with your right elbow while forcing your way in.”

“I see.” Yuminaga nodded. “Once the tent burned, the cut would disappear along with it.”

“No, this mud got on me when I tripped earlier.” Ashizawa argued.

“Then, why did you remove the tape from your right hand?” Conan posted a question. “This guy had tape on his right hand, right?” he looked at the rest of the Detective Boys.

“On his index finger.” Fumio confirmed. “I recall seeing Urushibara having some on his right index and middle fingers, too.”

“What about Urushibara's left hand?” Conan asked.

“He didn't have any tape on his left hand.” Haibara interjected.

“But Urushibara's charred corpse had taping on both hands, which means...” Conan turned back to Ashizawa. “The culprit removed their own tape and put it on him in order to keep the passed out Urushibara's hands linked behind his head.”

“If that's true, the- we might find on the adhesive surface of the tape on the body's left hand, bits of your skin and hair that contain your DNA.” Yuminaga stated. “If you haven't thrown away the knife you use to cut the tent, the fibers from the victim's tent should be on that, too.”

“Yeah, I've still got it.” Ashizawa admitted, pulling out the cutter and extended the blade.

“Ayumi!” Fumio pulled the girl behind him, just as Ashizawa reached for her. Ducking the arsonist's outstretched arm, he aimed a kick on Ashizawa's wrist and forcing him to drop the cutter. With Ashizawa's back open, Kuroda moved in and restrained the killer.

“I'm the one who set fire to Urushibara's tent.” defeated and captured. Ashizawa confessed. “He had dirt on me. I'm the one who asked Urushibara to hurt Danno so I could play. I wasn't expecting it to be a career-ending injury, but he was constantly threatening me. When I went to his tent today, he drunkenly slurred: if you don't want me to spill the beans, you'd better make lots of money for me once you go pro. Since he stopped responding, I entered his tent and start up that trick. Fortunately, everything I needed for it was inside the tent.”

“Thank you, Mizuno Fumio, for disarming the suspect.” Kuroda nodded as Yuminaga hurried forward to apprehend Ashizawa. “Your mother has taught you well.”


	66. The Mini Patrol Car Police's Big Chase

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Sometime later...

Miyamoto Yumi and Naeko Miike had stopped at a traffic light when they heard Conan shout.

“What are you shouting about?” Yumi asked, looking out of the patrol car window when the rest of the Detective Boys came into view. “Did something happen?”

“I'm glad you're here.” Conan ran towards the patrol car. “Chase that car that just left.”

“The car that just left?” Yumi echoed.

“Genta has been kidnapped.” Ayumi and Mitsuhiko chorused.

* * *

“You came to the department store to go shopping at the food festival, and Genta went missing?” Yumi summarized the situation.

“Yes.” Mitsuhiko nodded.

“While we were looking for him...” Conan continued.

“We found him captured in the back of the delivery van with his mouth taped shut when we gathered at the department store's off-loading area.” Fumio added.

“And at was the car that just left?” Naeko asked.

“Yeah.” Conan nodded. “We found this on the ground.” he took out the ice pick Fumio had bagged.

“What is that?” Yumi gasped. “There's blood on it.”

“Maybe Genta...” Mitsuhiko gaped.

“Got stabbed...” Ayumi muttered.

“That reminds me of those historical dramas.” Yumi noted. “Like 'It's nothing to do with me'.”

“Yumi-san, you _do_ realize most of them are fictional adaptions, right?” Fumio reminded.

“Yumi-san, please save Genta.” Mitsuhiko pleaded.

“Leave it to me.” Yumi grinned. “No one's escaped from my mini-patrol car on these streets before.”

“Yumi-san, let's contact HQ.” Naeko suggested.

“We can do that later.” Yumi replied.

“Genta, can you hear me?” Conan whispered over the Detective Badge.

“If you can hear us, say something, Genta.” Mitsuhiko voiced over the speaker.

“The kidnappers will hear you.” Fumio hushed the freckled boy.

“I heard something.” Ayumi stated, overhearing a growling sound from the badge.

“That sound suspiciously familiar...” Fumio deathpanned.

“I recognize that sound.” Mitsuhiko agreed.

“I know.” Ayumi piped in. “It's his stomach growling.”

“Damn, we're supposed to clean up on diamonds today, too.” Kawamata Mitsuo's voice was heard from the speaker.

“Wait.” Yumi voiced. “Did he just say they're cleaning up on diamonds?”

“They're jewels thieves.” Mitsuhiko concluded.

“I see.” Yumi mused. “They kidnapped Genta because he overheard them plotting to steal diamonds.”

“Then, we should hurry.” Naeko passed. “They said they couldn't let him go alive.”

“Genta's car is heading towards Teitan Elementary School.” Conan informed, his 'Criminal Tracking Glasses' were already activated.

“All right, we'll cut them off and arrest them.” Yumi declared. “Miike, take that left.” she instructed. “Next, right!” she directed.

“That car!” Conan recognized the delivery van straight up ahead of the junction.

“Full speed ahead!” Yumi announced. “Emergency vehicle coming through.” she shouted down the radio, the car was now stuck in the middle of a traffic jam. “Please clear the road.”

“We're not making any progress.” Naeko noted.

“Get out of the way!” pulling out a loudspeaker, Yumi hollered to the congested road.

On cue, the surrounding cars split like the Red Sea.

“You in the gray van!” Yumi demanded, the patrol car closing in. “Stop!”

* * *

“We lost them.” Naeko looked around, the car had forced to stop at a train crossing.

“Conan, which way?” Yumi asked.

“Right.” Conan replied. “They're heading towards the harbor.”

“I got it off.” Genta answered back to the Detective Badge's speaker, having shrugged the tape off his mouth. “I thought we were going to eat some good food.”

“Do you think we are idiots?” Kawamata's voice sounded from the speaker, having taken the Badge from Genta's trousers pocket. With a snap, he broke the Badge into half.

“Damn it.” Conan cursed. “My tracking glasses aren't working. His badge must be broken.”

“Wait, that cooler...” Conan suddenly recalled. “While we were searching the department store for Genta, I saw two men transporting coolers that look just like the ones in that car.” hr informed. “They were an unusual color, so I remember them well. Those men kidnapped Genta.

“And?” Yumi pressed. “Do you know where they are going?”

“They were using hand signals to communicate with each other.” Conan answered. “I think they looked like this.” he imitated.

“Doesn't that mean 'gun'?” Mitsuhiko gasped.

“Are they going to shoot Genta?” Ayumi was worried.

“No, they're probably communicating the location of the job to the person standing next to me.” Conan disagreed. “He's probably working with them.”

“Then, if we figure out what these signals mean, then we might know where they're headed.” Yumi reasoned.

“Yeah.” Conan nodded. “After before we lost track of them, the car was heading towards the harbor. Which means...”

“I got it.” Mitsuhiko cut in. “This means two and this means one. When using your fingers to count, in Japan, we start with the index finger and raise one at a time, but in Europe, they start with their thumbs. In other words, those signs mean 'two' and 'one'. They're referring to 21. Combine with the fact that the car is heading towards the harbor, and...”

“That's it.” Naeko realized. “The number 21 in the direction of the harbor means...”

“I get it now.” Yumi came to the same conclusion. “They're heading towards the warehouse 21 in the harbor.”

“Yumi-san, hold on.” Conan suddenly voiced.

“It's not number 21?” Ayumi blinked as the patrol car drove along the warehouses.

“No, those hand signs aren't the European style of counting.” Conan recanted his former deduction.

“They're most probably the secret hand signals used at auctions.” Fumio stated.

“Those signs used to indicate prices at auctions?” Naeko asked.

“Yeah.” Conan nodded .”When the man they were signaling walked past me, I caught a faint whiff of eel: not the scent of broiled eel, but a fishy scent.”

“In other words, this is a punch that's used to butcher eels.” Fumio held out the bagged pick.

“Does that mean they're eel vendors?” Mitsuhiko inquired.

“I see.” Yumi noted. “Eel vendors would know the secret hand signals of auctions. So, what number do those signals mean?”

“Considering hand signals differ slightly between markets, in Tokyo, one through five are expressed normally with your fingers. This is six and seven.” he stuck out his thumb and index finger.

“Got it.” Yumi nodded. “So, it's 76. Miike, head to Warehouse 76 immediately.”

* * *

“Jewel thieves.” Yumi and Naeko hurried from their vehicle, just in time to prevent the kidnappers from killing Genta. “Don't attempt the resist arrest. The jig's already up.”

“It's just a couple of women and kids.” Kawamata looked at Iguchi Sho. “Get them.”

“Don't underestimate the police.” Naeko warned, flinging the charging Iguchi over her shoulder.

“I learned this from Miwako.” Yumi dodged Kawamata's knife stab. “German suplex!” she suplex slammed Kawamata onto the ground. “There.” she wrote down the charges. “Speeding, illegal passing, illegal crossing and entering a closed railway crossing.”

“You're arresting us for that?” Kawamata echoed.

“That's just that for now.” Yumi corrected. “Division One will show up soon. They'll put you through the wringer then.”

“Genta, you're okay.” Ayumi and Mitsuhiko sighed in relief as Conan and Fumio freed the over-sized boy.

“What's that?” Genta blinked.

“Those are whitebait eels.” Conan replied.

“These are juvenile eels.” Fumio supplied. “They'll eventually grow into regular eels.”

“Why don't you let those two go?” Horikawa Shintaro requested, Matsuno Shunpei was holding Genta hostage.

“Division One is on its way.” Yumi informed. “You won't be able to escape.”

“Don't you care what happens to him?” Horikawa threatened, pulling out a filet knife and pointed it at Genta when suddenly, Conan's soccer ball flew towards him, knocking him off Genta, the reflected ball then taking out Matsuno.

“Nice shot.” Fumio gawked.

“But why eels?” Yumi wondered. “Where are the diamonds?”

“Apparently, they're part of an organization that smuggles protected whitebait eels that are illegal to export overseas.” Naeko explained as the smugglers were taken into custody.

“So, they weren't jewel thieves.” Mitsuhiko noted.

“But didn't they say they'd clean up on diamonds?” Ayumi wondered.

“The number of whitebait eels have declined sharply recently.” Fumio explained. “Since they're traded at such a high price, they're referred to as white diamonds. In other words, the diamonds they're referring to were these whitebait eels. So,” he looked at the two patrol officers. “How are you two going to write up this report?”


	67. The Disappeared Detective Boys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

About a week later...

“Where are we?” Haibara stirred, finding herself tied up and lying in the dark after watching the Kamen Yaiba onset filming.

“I”m hungry.” Genta moaned. “Where are we?”

“Conan's missing.” Ayumi noted. “Is that Conan?” she blinked, spotting a figure in front of her.

“Who are you?” the awakening Tatsumi Masaya exclaimed.

_It's the man from before._ Haibara recalled.

* * *

Flashback to earlier...

“I'm so hungry.” Genta whined, the group heading back after watching the final Kamen Yaiba onset filming. “Dumplings, please!” he sniffed the air and ran towards a stall selling dumplings.

“Are you still thinking of him?” Fumio looked at the deep-in-thought Conan.

“Thank you.” Nakama Toshie smiled lightly, wheeling her things on a trolley as Conan and Fumio stepped back to give way to her. “Someone help!” she gasped, when a gust of wind blew her wallet open and sent a dollar bill she had lying in her purse flying off.

“That's ten thousand yen!” Mitsuhiko reported.

“Catch it!” Conan instructed.

“Genta, catch that bill!” Mitsuhiko shouted to the over-sized boy who was chomping down on his snack.

“What's going on?” Genta asked, the bill was now stuck on his nose. Expelling a breath, he sent the bill flying away.

“Genta, catch it!” Ayumi pointed.

“Wait!” Genta swallowed the rest of the eel balls and ran after the runaway bill with the others in tow.

“Found it.” Mitsuhiko crawled into some bushes and pulled out the bill.

“Me too.” Ayumi stepped out from the tree.

“Found it!” Genta raised the bill in his hands.

“Wait a minute, shouldn't there be only one?” Fumio wondered.

“Let me see those.” Conan instructed.

“Aren't these...” Fumio frowned, giving the three dollar bills a quick scan.

“Yeah.” Conan nodded. “They all have the same serial number. Which means these are...”

“Counterfeit bills?” Mitsuhiko, Genta and Ayumi exclaimed.

“If I recall correctly, a few counterfeit bills were discovered in the city recently.” Fumio stated. “Rumor has it that an international criminal organization is involved.

“That must be it.” Mitsuhiko noted.

“That grandma is a counterfeiter?” Genta blinked.

“Then I doubt she would've asked us to catch it.” Haibara refuted.

“Yeah, this one is a little different.” Conan pointed to the bill Ayumi was holding.

“It's a little dump.” Ayumi noted.

“It's probably wet from the rain.” Mitsuhiko guessed.

“This is orange juice.” Genta gave the bill a sniff.

“It must be that.” Conan hopped over the bushes and ran towards the vending machine.

“A phone?” Fumio reached under the vending machine and pulled out the abandoned phone.

“What does this mean?” Ayumi asked.

“While someone was drinking some juice, a strong breeze blew away their counterfeit bills.” Conan concluded. “They spilled their juice then. They rushed to gather them up, but couldn't get them all and left without realizing they'd dropped their phone.”

“Then, that means...” Fumio breathed.

“Yeah.” Conan nodded. “Eventually, the counterfeiter will realize what's missing and come back for it.”

“I think we should call the police.” Haibara suggested.

“I'm going to call Inspector Megure.” Conan replied, seeing the other three preparing for the stakeout. “Stay with them.”

“I'll give kaa-san a call.” Fumio was already on the phone. “I think she's collaborating with the Italian AISE on this case. Kaa-san?” he made the call. “You know the counterfeiting case you're working on with the Italian AISE? We've got a lead.”

“Now to send these to the police.” Haibara noted, taking snapshots of Hikifune Bella who had approached the vending machine and retrieved the counterfeit bill left under the machine. “Guys, wait.” she breathed when she caught the other three following Hikifune.

“Ai-chan, hurry.” Ayumi urged.

“She's getting away.” Genta reminded.

* * *

“Where did they go?” Conan looked around, finding the place empty after he and Fumio made their calls.

“'Tailing the culprit'?” Fumio echoed, reading Conan's new message over the bespectacled boy's shoulder. “Conan, can you send the photos to kaa-san? The AISE will need a face to match with their suspect list and crack down on the criminal organization.”

“Right.” Conan nodded and forwards the photos.

* * *

Back to present...

“Something's not right here.” Conan noted as he and Fumio returned to the shipyard. “That tower... I couldn't see it from here before.”

“That's because there was a container here.” Fumio pointed to the empty space beside him.

“Anyway, where are they?” Conan wondered, making a call to the rest of the group. “Haibara, guys, can you hear me?” he activated the communicator on the Detective Badge after receiving an out-of-range message. “Damn it.” he cursed, activating his 'Criminal Tracking Glasses'. “I can't determine the location of their badges.”

“Guys!” Fumio shouted over the receiver. “Are you guys okay? Where are you right now?”

* * *

“I don't know where we are, but we're moving.” Haibara replied. “We're trapped in here with that man Edogawa found suspicious: the counterfeiter.”

* * *

“Moving and trapped?” Fumio echoed. “Conan, could it...”

“So that's how it is.” Conan came to the same conclusion. “Fumio, get on.” on his skateboard, the two boys headed out.

* * *

“That's it.” Conan and Fumio caught up with the two container trucks.

“We can't see outside from here, so we don't know where we traveled.” Haibara reported back, after Fumio attached a tracking device on one of the trucks. “The man trapped in here with us doesn't seem to know where we're going.”

“Conan, Fumio, in here!” Ami shouted over the pouring rain, the back door of her car was open to admit the two boys.

“Kaa-san!” Fumio beamed.

“They're heading for the harbor.” Conan informed the radar in his glasses were tracking the other Detective Badges. “Do they intend to travel overseas from there?”

“Chino-san, I request backup from the Coastal Guard.” Ami informed her AISE contact.

“Roger.” the AISE agent replied. “Give me the coordinates, Mizuno.”

* * *

“Got that, Edogawa?” Haibara asked, after having Tatsumi confess.

* * *

“Yeah.” Conan replied. “If the AISE is also after them, then she's probably a Mafioso. They've stopped.” he gaped. “Mizuno-san!”

“Is the ship leaving already?” Ami hissed. “Chino-san, get your team ready and prepare for a hostage situation.”

“Roger.” the AISE agent answered.

* * *

“The two of you, stay put.” Ami ordered, exiting her car. “Chino-san.” she greeted the arriving agent and her teammates.

“We're ready.” Chino confirmed. “Let's go.”

* * *

A few minutes later...

Inspector Megure's team had also arrived.

“We MPD Criminal Investigations Division One.” Inspector Megure flashed his badge to Hikifune. “You must be Hikifune Bella, the owner of this ship.”

“We were told your ship was full of counterfeit bill.” Takagi added. “We'll be searching it.”

“We've also been informed that you've kidnapped and imprisoned the child witnesses.” Chiba stated.

“How scary.” Hikifune gaped. “But as exceptional Japanese policemen, surely you realize this isn't a Japanese ship. If you don't find anything, this will become a major international incident. How does this sound? You're welcome to search it if you like.” she led the officers on deck. “If you find a single piece of evidence...”

“You really shouldn't count your chickens just yet, Hikifune-san.” Ami chided, Agent Chino's service pistol was trained on her. “As of this moment, the AISE agents have secured the necessary evidence located in the ship's helm.”

“Madam, we have the container.” the divers from the Coastal Guard reported via earpiece.

* * *

“Guys, you're all alright.” Conan breathed in relief after the container was brought onshore and the doors opened.

“Okay, kids, out.” Chino thumbed the exit. “The AISE is confiscating these now.”

“Could you come with us to the station?” Inspector Megure turned to Hikifune.

“I'm just the owner.” Hikifune taunted. “The crew must've done this on their own.”

“Can you let me see your wallet?” Fumio held out a hand. “You've got a ten thousand yen bill, right?”

“I don't have any counterfeit bills.” Hikifune replied.

“I never said that; I meant the old woman's ten thousand yen bill.” Fumio corrected.

“That's it.” Genta recalled the bill that had sauce stuck on it.

“But doesn't that make you a thief?” Mitsuhiko inquired.

“You're one cheap Mafioso.” Genta noted.

“More importantly...” Haibara stated.

“If you've touched the other counterfeit bills with your hands...” Conan added.

“But they're soaked.” Ayumi pointed out. “The evidence must be ruined.”

“You mean these?” Haibara unfolded the dry bills she kept in her handkerchief.

“Shall we compare your fingerprints?” Inspector Megure claimed the notes.

“No, there's no need for that.” Hikifune admitted defeat.


	68. A Day Without Conan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Sometime later...

“Why do we _always_ run into these kind of incidents, even without Conan around?” Fumio sighed, the Detective Boys, minus Conan, had found dead body inside a work-in-progress construction site.

“The victim is a serial blackmailer named Unmo Sadakazu.” Mitsuhiko informed Conan over the phone, after Inspector Megure's team was called onto the scene. “There's no weapon at the scene of the crime, but he most likely died instantly when he was hit over the head with a metal pipe. They're finished. I'll call you back.” he ended the call.

“So, the estimated time of death is today between 3.30 to 4.30.” Inspector Megure looked at the forensics officer.

“It's four.” Fumio piped in. “That's when the man with dark sunglasses and mask came out.”

“And you kids were watching this construction site from across the street, then?” Inspector Megure asked.

“Yes.” Mitsuhiko nodded. “We saw a woman in trouble. It was regarding her grandson who lives with her. The suspicious man came running out after five minutes. We were curious about what happened, but then, the grandson in question came out. When we followed him,we discovered he was actually working. He was working nights.”

“The man you kids saw certainly sounds suspicious, but without knowing his appearance or age...” Inspector Megure noted.

“But he was really tall.” Ayumi replied.

“There are a lot of men like that.” Inspector Megure pointed out. “Unmo-san himself looks to be almost two meters tall.”

“Inspector Megure,” Takagi entered with Chiba in tow. “Is it safe to assume the suspect was being blackmailed by Unmo-san?”

“It seems Unmo-san had no relationship with his neighbors.” Chiba added.

* * *

“There's something bothering me.” Conan voiced over the phone. “There was no weapon at the crime scene, right?”

* * *

“Right.” Mitsuhiko confirmed. “We believe the culprit took it with them.”

* * *

“But the man who fled wasn't carrying a metal pipe, right?” Conan reminded.

* * *

“You're right.” Mitsuhiko agreed. “Perhaps he was hiding it under his coat.”

* * *

“Got it.” Conan nodded. “I'll be back tomorrow afternoon. Let's find the culprit together.”

* * *

The next day...

“You can't come right now?” Mitsuhiko exclaimed.

* * *

“Sorry.” Conan apologized, outside the hospital. “Stick with the police and tell me everything you learn.”

* * *

“Everyone they spoke to had an alibi, too.” Chiba informed.

* * *

“All the suspects are innocent?” Conan echoed, still in the hospital nursing Mouri.

* * *

“We're stuck.” Mitsuhiko admitted.

“Then who killed that guy with the dumb face?” Genta asked over the phone.

* * *

“Dumb face?” Conan echoed. “The victim Unmo Sadakazu didn't have a particularly dumb face."

* * *

“That's because you didn't see the body, Conan.” Mitsuhiko replied.

* * *

“Hold on.” Conan put the call in hold and dug out Mouri's handphone. Using his voice-changing bow-tie, he spoke into the phone. “Hello, this is Mouri. Could you put Detective Takagi on the line?”

* * *

“Very well.” Takagi sighed. “I can't refuse a request from you, Mouri.”

* * *

“Were his front teeth knocked out when he was hit?” Conan asked, using Mouri's voice.

* * *

“No, they weren't.” Takagi replied. “They're dentures. We found them in his apartment. He was going to have them put back at the start of the week.”

* * *

“So, they were out since before he arrived at the scene.” Conan noted. “I was just curious. Sorry to have bothered you.”

* * *

“The estimated time of death?” Fumio echoed after Conan made a call to him. “We told you it was around four.”

“That's when you guys saw the tall man running away, right?” Conan reminded. “What time did the police determine it was?”

“Between 3.30 to 4.30.” Fumio answered.

With that information, Conan ended the call. “Fumio, sorry.” he dialed Fumio's number a while later. “I want you guys to split up and do something for me. The first is to confirm her alibi with the witness. The second is a treasure hunt.”

“Roger.” Fumio replied. “We'll give it a shot.”

“He's ordering us around without even explaining why?” Haibara noted. “He treats us like errand boys.”

“Errand boys?” Fumio deathpanned.

“We just need to solve the case, right?” Ayumi cut in.

“Why not, right?” Fumio shrugged. “It's up us to find the missing key to solving this. Guess it's up to us to speak to the witness.” he blinked when the other three ran off.

“I'd better give Edogawa a piece of my mind first.” Haibara stated.

Fumio just laughed nervously.

* * *

“Did I visit my neighbor Samei Rika's apartment yesterday?” Tago Kuniko echoed when faced by the two children's question. “No, I didn't.”

“Then, how did you know she started working at three?” Fumio asked.

“Because she came to ask me for something yesterday.” Tago replied. “She made her request and went back to her apartment around three. She was definitely working, right? Fortunately, no weirdos showed up.”

* * *

“So in other words, we don't know if she was actually in her apartment after three.” Conan concluded after Fumio called him to report their findings.

“Yea,” Fumio nodded. “But she looks nothing like the tall man.”

* * *

“That's not important anymore.” Conan answered.

* * *

“I made him tell me.” Haibara informed the others. “Edogowa's deduction.”

* * *

“Take them back and have them examined immediately.” Inspector Megure was called down upon discovery of the discarded coat.

“Conan figured it all out?” Takagi was surprised.

“Is he back?” Chiba asked.

“No.” Ayumi replied.

“He figured it out based on the information we gave him.” Genta added.

“Please come with us.” Fumio requested. “Even though Conan isn't with us, I'll expose the culprit this time.”

“I expected nothing less from the offspring of a Security Bureau officer, I suppose.” Takagi relented.

* * *

“The other suspects' alibis are rock solid.” Fumio began, having Takagi and Chiba bring Samei to the rooftop. “But we can't say the same for you, Samei Rika.”

“My neighbor Kuniko can...” Samei started.

“Your neighbor didn't actually see you.” Haibara cut her off.

“You're right.” Samei agreed. “But it doesn't matter if I have an alibi. Wasn't Unmo killed by a tall man?”

“We never would've found him.” Fumio declared. “Not the man we saw, that is. The reason is simple; the man...”

“He made it just in time.” Haibara stated, when Conan flung the staircase door open.

“Hi, taicho.” Fumio greeted.

“Kogoro-ojisan is incredibly resilient.” Conan remarked.

“More importantly, why couldn't you find him?” Takagi steered the matter back.

“Fumio, go!” Conan gave the go-ahead.

“The tall man wearing sunglasses, a coat and mask was Unmo Sadakazu himself.” Fumio declared.

“Hold on.” Chiba voiced. “The victim Unmo...”

“Was also the culprit?” Takagi echoed.

“Not the culprit, the suspect.” Conan corrected.

“Please take over, taicho.” Fumio backed off. “You're the one who solve this.”

“Right.” Conan took center stage. “Yesterday at four, Unmo came to the construction site to blackmail someone. Since it was cold, he wore a coat. In other words, the tall man the Detective Boys saw was Unmo himself. Believing he killed them, he threw away the pipe and fled which was witnessed by the Detective Boys. Later, Unmo returned; he must've remembered that his fingerprints were on the weapon. Unmo was killed by his blackmailing victim who had only been knocked unconscious. That was around 4.30. Then the culprit removed Unmo's coat and disposed of it with the metal pipe. The reason I thought the tall man they saw might be Unmo is because I saw this photo you sent.” he showed the two officers the photo. “Since it was cold, he must've been wearing a coat and if he was going to blackmail someone, he would've hidden the fact that his front teeth were missing with a mask.”

“And once we eliminate the requirement of 'tall man', we should focus on the certainty of their alibi when determining the culprit.” Fumio added.

“Why did the culprit fee the need to remove Unmo's coat?” Takagi asked.

“When they were fighting Unmo, it's possible their blood got on Unmo's coat.” Conan reasoned.

“Forensics just reported that they found blood on the coat.” Chiba confirmed. “It belongs to the victim Unmo and one other person.”

“It's mine.” Samei admitted. “But I didn't mean to kill him. He asked me to meet him yesterday and blackmailed me. When I asked him to stop, he told me not to underestimate him and started strangling me. In order to defend myself, I grabbed a metal pipe, but he nearly killed me. I attacked Unmo with the metal pipe when he returned because I feared he'd come to finish me off. I was caught up in the moment.”

“That totally contradicts your story.” Fumio was not moved by the older woman's tears. “You made the fake request to your neighbor before you went to see Unmo, right? If you hadn't planned on killing him, you wouldn't have done it in advance.”

“The little brat is right.” Samei snorted. “I asked that pest to meet me and killed him.”


	69. The Heartfelt Strap, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“That was amazing!” Genta gushed, the Detective Boys were returning after watching the soccer match. “Did you see Hide's long shot?”

“I can't believe he scored from that far away.” even Mitsuhiko was astonished.

“BIG Osaka's goalie was surprised, too.” Ayumi piped in.

“What?” Haibara hissed, after Conan informed her of his request. “A school trip?”

“For Teitan High School.” Conan stammered. “So, you know...”

“You want to use the APTX4869 antidote to restore your body so that you can participate, right?” Haibara realized. “No. The effects of the antidote is still only temporary. If you continuously take it in order to remain in your original body during the school trip, there's no telling what kind of side effect there could be. And besides, when you went to London... and the Shiragami case! I've saved you countless times with my quick wits when the effects of the medicine expired and your identity was about to be discovered. You _still_ haven't learnt your lesson?”

“Calm down.” Conan soothed. “I know you're upset because BIG Osaka lost, but you were in a good mood since you got to meet Higa-san in the stands who was out of the game due to an injury. I even wore a BIG hat today and cheered for them.”

“You shouldn't have done that.” Haibara glared. “You're the reason they lost! Either way, give up on that school trip.”

“Ouch...” Fumio groaned, the train skidding to a stop at the station when it suddenly braked due to a red light. “Genta, get off me!” he glared at the over-sized boy who had fell on him.

* * *

“You met Higo in the stands, huh?” Professor Agasa noted, the kids having returned to his house. “That's great.”

“He was really cool.” Ayumi gushed.

“Haibara-san was blushing.” Fumio teased. “You even got a Higo-san phone strap, and it's the last one.”

“I was very lucky.” Haibara beamed.

“BIG might've won if Higo-san were in the game.” Genta pointed out.

“Genta, you have no delicacy, do you?” Fumio sweatdropped when faced with Haibara's downcast look.

“Come to think of it, I got a photo of it.” Mitsuhiko piped in. “I'll show you.” he took out his phone. “What?” he blinked, finding his phone was set to record mode. “It's recording.”

“Since when?” Genta peered.

“It seems to have started while we were on the train.” Mitsuhiko replied. “I seem to have pressed the button when I made sure I hadn't dropped my phone after the train suddenly stopped and I fell.”

“It's because you keep yours in the rear pocket of your pants.” Conan explained.

“Why were you keeping it there?” Ayumi asked.

“I saw Haibara-san doing it, so I copied her.” Mitsuhiko answered.

“Ai-chan, is your phone okay?” Ayumi thought to ask.

“Yeah, it's right here in...” Haibara dug out her phone.

“What's wrong, Haibara? Conan gaped, hearing Haibara's shocked exclaim.

“It's gone.” Haibara gaped at the metal ring that was missing the figurine. “The Higo-san strap I attached to my phone is gone!”

“I”m sure you'll be able to buy one online.” Conan assured.

“I can't!” Haibara wailed. “That strap is special. Today, Higo-san... and he touched it. There's only one strap like that in the world!”

“Haibara-san!” Fumio shouted in worry when the girl went into shock and collapsed against a wall. “Not good.” he waved a hand in front of the unresponsive Haibara. “It's a 522 Connection Timed Out.”

“But where did we lost it?” Mitsuhiko wondered.

“Probably when we fell on the train.” Genta reasoned.

“Mitsuhiko, let me see that video you accidentally recorded on your phone.” Conan requested.

“That man next to the train doors...” Ayumi gasped, the video camera had captured Mr. Yoshida picking up the phone strap.

“He's picking something up.” Mitsuhiko noted.

“Isn't that the Higo-san strap?” Genta asked, Conan enlarging the image.

“You're right.” Mitsuhiko replied. “It looks like it.”

“Then, maybe he delivered it to the station's lost and found.” Professor Agasa reasoned.  
  


* * *

“Is something the matter?” Subaru pushed his way in through the door, holding up a pot of curry, just as Conan was about to head over to the Chiyari City station. “Since I was told I hadn't stewed my curry long enough the other day, so I brought a new batch to share.”

“More importantly,” Mitsuhiko voiced. “Haibara-san's very important phone strap was taken to Chiyari Station.”

“We're on our way to pick it up right now.” Ayumi added.

“Uncle Subaru, can you drive us there?” Fumio requested, switching on his puppy-dog eyes in full force.

“I see.” Subaru noted. “She's not going?” he cast a look at the still unresponsive Haibara.

“She's still in '522 Connection Timed Out' mode, apparently.” Fumio supplied.

“Unfortunately, I need to use my car after this.” Subaru apologized. “But I saw a familiar car parked next to this house. Why don't you ask him? A white RX-7.”

“Tou-san, huh...” Fumio moaned.

* * *

“Tou-san.” Fumio greeted his father. “Do I want to know you're doing here?”

“I got sleepy while driving in the area, so I took a nap.” Amuro replied. “What are you kids doing?”

“We're going to Chiyari Station to pick up the phone strap our friend dropped.” Conan answered. “Could you drive us there?”

“I'd also ask that you do this.” Subaru added. “Though if there is some reason you don't want to leave this place, then I suppose it can't be helped.”

“I wanted to nap a little longer, but that's too bad.” Amuro stated.

* * *

“Thanks for waiting, kids.” the station master brought out the phone strap. “This is the strap, right?”

“That's not it.” Ayumi replied.

“That's Sanada.” Genta peered at the figurine.

“We lost a Higo strap.” Mitsuhiko supplied.

“Was this the man who turned that in?” Conan asked, showing the train master Mr. Yoshida's picture.

“No, it was a younger man.” the station master replied.

“Maybe,” Amuro stepped forward. “Could I see that?” he borrowed Conan's phone. “This man in the photo appears to be the father of the boy standing next to him. Maybe he mistook the Higo strap your friend dropped for the Sanada strap his son dropped and picked up yours. Unless you are a passionate fan, they probably look all the same.”

“In other words, someone picked up the Sanada strap his son dropped and turned it in here.” Conan reasoned.

“Then, we need to find the father and son recorded by my phone.” Mitsuhiko noted.

“But how are we going to find him?” Ayumi asked.

“Why don't we think about that once we return to my car?” Amuro stated.

“Ah, right!” Genta suddenly recalled something. “Was a badge turned in along with that strap?”

“A badge?” the station master echoed. “No, I don't think so.”

“Genta, what are you doing?” Mitsuhiko asked after Genta rejoined the group.

“Sorry.” Genta apologized. “I lost my Detective Badge on the train, too.”

* * *

“Now then, how should we find this man with his son who picked up the Higo strap your friend dropped on the train?” Amuro asked, once the group was settled in at Danny's. “Both of them look very tan.”

“You're right.” Ayumi agreed.

“Maybe they're on their way to go swimming at the beach.” Mitsuhiko guessed.

“No, that's not it.” Conan corrected.

“Why not?” Mitsuhiko blinked.

“This video was taken while we were on the train after the soccer game ended at 3pm.” Fumio reminded. “We then arrived at Beika Station 10 minutes later. So if they were to go swimming, they would've left earlier.”

“Then, maybe they're on their way back from the beach.” Ayumi piped in.

“That's not it, either.” Conan voiced. “We were riding the Shonan Shinjuku train. It departs from Takasaki in Gunma and passes through Shinjuku and Yokohama on its way to Odawara in Kanagawa. And the beach doesn't reach Beika Station.”

“I don't even want to know how you memorized all that.” Fumio was stunned.

“Maybe they went to an indoor pool.” Ayumi suggested.

“Or bug hunting.” Genta added.

“Or maybe they were just went to an acquaintance's house.” Mitsuhiko guessed.

“In that case, did you overhear any of their conversation?” Amuro inquired.

“Come to think of it,” Ayumi recalled. “The dad said to his son, 'It's about as long as it takes to watch Kamen Yaiba'. But Kamen Yaiba wasn't on today.”

“Before his father said that, did the boy ask him 'How much longer'?” Conan asked.

“He did.” Ayumi gasped.

“Which means, it's possible he was using the thirty minute Kamen Yaiba program to explain to his son how much longer it would take to arrive at their destination.” Amuro reasoned.

“Do you know when they said that?” Conan questioned.

“It was after the train screeched to a stop and everybody fell.” Ayumi nodded.

“So, it's 30 minutes to Beika Station.” Conan mused. “That's here around Chiyari Station.”

“That boy seemed to be a first-year elementary school student like us.” Mitsuhiko noted. “It's not unreasonable that his father would use Yaiba as an example.”

“How do you know he's a first-year?” Conan blinked.

“Because he breathed on the train window and wrote something with his finger.” Mitsuhiko answered. “He said 'It's only hiragana, but I can write it now. Aren't you proud?' I think he was writing his own name. Unfortunately, I couldn't see what he wrote.”

“Do you remember which car you were riding in?” Amuro asked.

“We got in middle of the third car from the front, right?” Genta wondered.

“Yes.” Mitsuhiko nodded.

“You really don't remember what he wrote?” Ayumi asked.

“No.” Mitsuhiko replied. “I do remember his pale finger pressed against the window, though.”

“Pale finger?” Genta blinked. “They're both really dark from being so tan.”

“But if you look closely at the video...” Mitsuhiko pointed. “See? It's both of them.”

“They're both pale from the wrist down.” Genta exclaimed.

“And look at the dad's bag.” Ayumi pointed. “It looks like there's something angular inside it.”

“Maybe he put his cooler inside his bag since the strap broke.” Mitsuhiko reasoned.

“Are they going fishing?” Ayumi frowned.

I don't see any fishing rods.” Fumio cut in. “And they're dressed too lightly for hiking. Maybe...”

“Maybe?” the others looked at him.

“They could be digging for clams.” Fumio stated.

“Digging for clams?” Mitsuhiko echoed.

“You go digging for clams in spring.” Ayumi giggled.

“Actually, grandfather told me you can do it all year round.” Fumio supplied. “Granted April to May is the best season since the climate means the clams are full of nutrients due to spawning, there are plenty of beaches that are open for clam digging as late as July.”

“And low tide at Chiyari Beach is at 5:59 today.” Amuro added. “When digging for clams, it's best to arrive an hour or two before low tide, so it makes sense that they took that train.”


	70. The Heartfelt Strap, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

At the beach...

“There are so many people.” Ayumi gawked at the crowd.

“It's not even clam hunting season.” even Mitsuhiko was surprised.

“Well, I can't say I'm really surprised.” Fumio noted. “It was worse when Grandfather and I came.”

“And we have to find them among all these people?” Genta whined.

“If only we knew that kid's name...” Fumio sighed.

“I've got it.” Amuro ended his call to Kazumi. “His name is Yoshida Yuto. My friend happened to be on that train. I had him breathe on the window and check what the boy wrote.”

“Uncle Kazumi isn't going to be very happy, tou-san.” Fumio reminded.

“Yoshida Yuto from Tokyo, you friends have arrived.” using the loudspeaker from his voice-changing bow-tie, Conan mimicked the announcer's voice. “Please come to the beach house immediately. Once again, Yoshida Yuto from Tokyo, you friends have arrived. Please come to the beach house immediately.”

“Hold on, Conan.” Mitsuhiko started. “How do you know the boy's from Tokyo?”

“It's obvious, isn't it?” Fumio replied. “That train gets very crowded at Shinjuku Station near the Toto Stadium, the Tokyo Spirits' home stadium. In other words, the Station where we got on; but the father-and-son weren't sitting, which would mean they either got on when we did or after that. They could only be from Tokyo.”

“Excuse me.” Mr. Yoshida voiced, approaching the group with Yuto in tow. “Yoshida Yuto is my son. Are you looking for someone else by the same name?”

_It's them!_ The Detective Boys beamed.

“Ojii-san, you picked up a soccer player strap on the train, right?” Conan asked.

“Yeah, I thought it was my son's.” Mr. Yoshida replied. “But it was of a different player.”

“That's my friend's.” Ayumi piped in.

“Your son's strap was at Chiyari Station.” Mitsuhiko supplied.

“I'm glad you came.” My Yoshida dug into his pants' pocket and pulled out the phone strap. “Here.”

“What?” the Detective Boys blinked when a hand suddenly snatched the strap away.

“No way!” Ayumi gasped when the unnamed man took off with the phone strap.

“Oh no, you don't!” Fumio was already on the move, giving chase with Conan close behind.

“Wait, why?” Conan looked around, realizing the man had already blended into the crowd. “It's just a phone strap.”

“Come to think of it, I recognize that man.” Amuro stated. “He was standing near the Chiyari Station lost and found when we went there, and I think he was sitting behind Ayumi at the family restaurant we just visited.”

“Then, maybe he's been following us this whole time so he could swipe it.” Mitsuhiko suggested.

“Yeah, but what's the reason?” Fumio reminded.

“It's just a Higo phone strap.” Conan agreed.

“It's not just a strap!” Ayumi snapped.

“It was really important to Haibara.” Genta added.

“There's only one strap like it in the whole word.” Mitsuhiko agreed.

_Actually..._ Fumio mused.

_That doesn't answer the question._ Conan agreed.

“Maybe...” Mr. Yoshida spoke up. “It's because of what was inside the strap. Yuto, there was something inside it, right?”

“Yeah.” Yuto nodded. “It was hard when I squeezed it.”

“There was something hard inside?” Conan echoed.

“That something must be a flash drive with top secret data on it.” Mitsuhiko surmised.

_Oi, oi, oi..._ Fumio sweatdropped.

“Yeah, right.” Conan shared Fumio's skepticism. “We bought it at the stadium store.”

“Actually, the straps were sold out and Haibara asked the clerk to sell her the display product.” Mitsuhiko corrected.

“Then, that's not an impossible scenario.” Amuro added. “One person picks up the display product and puts something inside it while pretending to look at it. Once that product sells out, another person asks to purchase the display product. It's a way to secretly make a deal. But your friend bought the display product first. While following her in order to get it back, your friend dropped the strap while the train shook. He took advantage of the opportunity to pick up the strap, but it was the wrong one. When he went to the Station's lost and found to turn in the strap, you kids appeared. Since it seemed like you'd find the trap he wanted for himself, he resumed following you and waited for an opportunity to steal it.”

“Then once the deal is done...” Mitsuhiko gasped. “That strap will be thrown away.”

“We'll have to split up to find that man.” Conan went into leader mode.

“Tou-san, can we trouble you to watch the exits?” Fumio looked his father. “He wasn't dressed like someone who's clam-digging.”

“But, there's still a lot of people.” Genta pointed out.

“Don't worry.” Conan assured. “Since we're small, we can slip through the crowd to look for him. In ant case, loudly describe the man's appearance so the people around you can hear you. Once you find him, don't do anything. Use your Detective Badge to notify me.”

* * *

As the sun set, Conan was waiting in front of the changing rooms. “I've been waiting for you, ojii-san.” he informed the man walking past.

“Who are you?” the man asked.

“Don't play dumb.” Conan smiled. “You could immediately remove your hat and jacket, swap them out for something you bought here and stuff them into one of the bags sold at the store. But you can't change your pants without visiting the changing room. Am I wrong?” he blinked at the man's expression.

“Listen,” the man defended. “I just came here to change into shorts so I could go digging for clams.”

“But take a look.” Fumio walked in, pointing to the setting sun. “It's already this late in the afternoon and everyone's getting ready to leave. Are you going to start now? Your cap has a price tag still attached.”

“That proves you hastily put it on as soon as you bought it.” Conan explained. “And besides, I can see the head of the strap poking out.”

“You idiot.” the man snorted. “It's hidden right...” he caught himself.

“So you _are_ the man who stole the Higo strap from us.” Conan grinned.

“Damn it!” the man turned tail and fled, once to be stopped by the rest of the Detective Boys as Conan activated his kick-enhancing shoes.

Fumio sweatdropped when the soccer ball hit its target, sending the man onto the sand and the phone strap falling out of his hands as a result.

Ayumi reached out to catch the strap when it bounced off from her hands.

Mitsuhiko reached to catch the strap, only to have it slip out of his hands.

Genta tried to catch it, only to miss and have it fall into the ocean.

“Oh no, you don't!” Fumio was already chasing after the strap, arm outstretched to catch the falling strap before it hit the water. “Save!” the blond boy declared, raising the rescued strap in the air. “I'm just glad kaa-san taught me how to swim when I was four.” he noted, Conan pulling him from the water.

* * *

“An engagement ring?” the Detective Boys chorused when the man revealed the reason he was after the phone strap.

“That's it?” Fumio exclaimed.

“That's what you put in the phone strap?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“My girlfriend is a huge Higo fan.” the man admitted. “I was going to surprise her tonight.”

“It really was inside.” Genta gawked when Fumio pulled the ring out.

“It looks expensive.” Mitsuhiko gushed.

“Yeah, I splurged on it, so I was worried if it was actually still inside there.” the man replied. “While checking it on the train, I dropped it when the train shook. I went to pick it up right away, but it was a different strap. I saw the father-and-son standing nearby pick it up. I thought I'd explain the situation when they got off and exchange straps, but Chiyari Station was full of people there to dig for clams. I lost sight of them, so I thought if I turned in their strap to the lost and found and waited there, they might show up. That's when these kids arrived. They seemed to be looking for the same strap for some reason, so I followed them.”

“Then, you should've said so earlier.” Genta chided.

“But that girl...” the man looked over at Ayumi. “I heard her say that, so...”

“In other words, three people dropped their straps when the train shook.” Amuro summarized. “The father-and-son picked up his Higo strap, and he picked up the son's Sanada strap.”

“Then, where's Ai-chan's strap?” Ayumi wondered.

“I found my Detective Badge, though.” Genta stated.

“Genta, where did you find it?” Conan asked.

“In the parking lot of the family restaurant.” Genta replied. “I put on my hood when it started to rain and it fell out.”

“Genta, squat down for a bit.” Fumio requested and peered into the jacket hood. “If it's not in here, then... could it be...”

“Haibara's strap is in the family restaurant parking lot.” Conan came to the same conclusion.

* * *

“Found it.” Conan beamed, spotting the phone strap underneath a parked car.

“But if we return it to her in the condition it's in...” Fumio sweatdropped at the sight of the battered strap. “Haibara would probably kill us, won't she?”

“Yeah...” Conan nodded slowly. “Probably.”

“Do we have a needle and some thread around?” Fumio asked.


	71. Woman Standing by the Window, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“We're really going?” Conan echoed, Ayumi having gathered the Detective Boys and informed them of her intention.

“Don't you want to see her, too?” Mitsuhiko inquired.

“She's pretty and nice.” Genta added.

“Why not?” Haibara shrugged. “Just imagine it's good for your eyes.”

“Haibara-san...” Fumio sighed.

“You, too?” Conan leveled a glare at the snarky girl.

* * *

“That's Midorikawa Saki.” Ayumi pointed to the apartment unit.

“She really is pretty.” Mitsuhiko whispered.

“I heard she was good-natured and cheerful, but...” Haibara noted.

“She seems kind of lonely.” Conan pointed out. “And what is she looking at?” he turned to the direction Midorikawa was staring.

“Come to think of it, she was looking yesterday, too.” Ayumi recalled.

* * *

“You go to the gym?” Ayumi gushed, the children were accompanying Midorikawa out.

“For your beauty and health?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“No, my body's important for work.” Midorikawa answered.

“What were you looking at from your window?” Conan piped in.

“Who knows?” Midorikawa shrugged. “This is my stop.” she paused in front of the building. “See you later.”

“Let's start looking for cases.” Genta cheered.

“Since our long weekend starts today, I'd like to solve a big case.” Mitsuhiko declared.

“You really think you'll find a big case just lying around?” Conan chided.

“Conan, you jinx...” Fumio muttered, the group then hearing and seeing a convertible van crash head-first into the building Midorikawa just walked into.

“What's wrong?” Haibara whispered, noticing Conan's keen eyes had immediately picked up on the three suspects in the crowd.

“They were glaring at the nice lady.” Ayumi noted after the three suspects walked off together.

“I wonder what that was about.” Haibara mused.

“Saki, have you done anything to make people resent you?” Conan turned back to Midorikawa.

“When you live twenty and some years...” Midorikawa pondered. “I'm kidding/” she teased. “I haven't done anything like that. I need to get to work.” she took a look at her watch.

“Work?” Ayumi echoed. “I wonder what she does.”

“Hey.” Conan voiced, walking up to the thee suspects who were spying on Midorikawa behind a lamppost. “Did something happen to you and that lady?”

“No.” Konno Michiyo blinked.

“I have no idea what you mean.” Dojima Tatsuko also denied.

“All three of them were startled.” Genta noted after the three suspects walked off.

“And they tried playing it off by smiling.” Mitsuhiko added.

“Something must be up.” Haibara concluded.

“But I don't see how anyone could hate the nice lady.” Ayumi protested.

“It's possible she incurred their hatred without realizing it.” Mitsuhiko surmised.

“Maybe she saw something she wasn't supposed to see.” Fumio guessed.

“Let's check it out.” Conan suggested.

“I wonder who they are.” Haibara remarked, the children hurrying to the building the three suspects disappeared into.

“Seems like all three of them live here.” Conan looked at the apartment building Midorikawa was living in.

* * *

“Of course.” Conan breathed, running across the street to the building opposite of the apartment and turned to see Midorikawa's window. “Then naturally, from here...”

“You can see them.” Mitsuhiko gawked, two of the three suspects' shadows were clearly visible.

“You can't see 1107, but you can see Rooms 102 and 302.” Conan agreed.

“If we can see them here, then they must be visible from her apartment, too.” Ayumi reasoned.

“Maybe Fumio is right.” Haibara spoke. “Perhaps she was looking out her window and saw them doing something.”

“Then, Saki herself probably hasn't realized what she saw.” Mitsuhiko added.

“Or, maybe she _does_ know but is playing dumb.” Fumio pointed out.

“Why would she do that?” Ayumi protested.

“It's just a hypothesis...” Fumio took a small step back.

* * *

“That voice!” Haibara gasped, hearing Midorikawa's scream and the children hurried over to the scene.

“Saki, there's something we want to ask you.” Conan voiced, after assuring Midorikawa was fine.

“Sorry, my heart is still pounding.” Midorikawa beamed. “Ask me another time.”

“She seems pretty shocked over nearly being in an accident.” Haibara noted after Midorikawa went off.

“Then, let's ask them what she saw.” Genta suggested.

* * *

“Hello.” Mitsuhiko greeted the returning Konno. “We're actually the Detective Boys. That woman from this afternoon aw you doing something you shouldn't have, didn't she?”

“Like what?” Konno feigned ignorance.

“We're hoping you'll tell us.” Genta piped in.

“Why would she have seen something like that?” Konno chuckled.

“You were glaring at her, right?” Conan inquired.

“That's because she seemed like a pretty, cheerful person.” Konno explained. “I was jealous. I'm not pretty and I'm gloomy....”

“So that's the reason?” Fumio gawked.

* * *

“I definitely glared at her.” Dojima retorted.

“Is it because she saw you doing something bad?” Ayumi asked.

“Because she looked like the cousin I've hated since I was a child.” Dojima fired back.

* * *

“Yeah, she looked like her.” Tachibana confessed. “The girl who rejected me amidst a flurry of falling leaves behind the school building one autumn day during my second year in middle school. It aches. The old wound aches. Like the falling maple leaves, so does my heart bleed. Farewell, children.” he ran past and pressed the gate button. “I am...” the drunk man fell onto the floor.

“Adults are so confusing.” Fumio sweatdropped.

* * *

The next morning...

Dojima, while searching for an item she had dropped on the pavement in front of the apartment building screamed in horror when Midorikawa's body fell from the building roof right in front of her. “She suddenly fell from up there!” she panicked to the crowd that had gathered.

“Was there an accident?” Genta asked, the Detective Boys had also arrived on the scene.

“Onee-san!” Ayumi gasped, seeing Midorikawa's body on the pavement.


	72. A Woman Standing by the Window, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“Looks like she fell to her death.” Haibara noted.

“Looks like it.” Fumio agreed.

“Did she fall from the roof?” Conan wondered, looking upwards.

“I knew it.” Nakabayashi Naka muttered.

“Obaa-san, you were at the intersection yesterday, right?” Conan recognized the 73-year-old woman. “What did you know?”

“The same thing happened to her yesterday.” Nakabayashi replied.

“Did someone push her?” Ayumi pressed.

“So she was nearly killed yesterday, too.” Conan mused when Nakabayashi nodded. “Sounds like Saki may have been murdered.” he informed the others after Nakabayashi went off.

“The culprit came back to finish her off.” Mitsuhiko surmised.

“But who and why?” Ayumi asked.

“Those three...” Fumio frowned, spotting Dojima, Tachibana and Konno being questioned by the police officers.

“They're suspicious.” Genta noted.

“Saki hid the attempt on her life.” Conan went into thinking mode. “It would have been natural for her to report it to the police.”

“In other words, she had a reason she won't.” Fumio guessed.

“But what would that be?” Ayumi pressed.

“We don't know that yet.” Conan admitted.

“She was here at the time of the incident.” Mitsuhiko's suspicions was piqued when Dojima wasted no time in reporting her statement to the arriving Megure.

“Apparently.” Conan agreed. “Detective Takagi, about Midorikawa Saki...” he called out to Takagi.

“Inspector Megure, the victim seems to have fallen from the roof.” Chiba reported. “There were scratch marks on the railing of the roof. We also found a woman's earring on the ground.”

“They match.” Megure compared the earrings.

“The building's security cameras also captured the victim heading to the roof.” Chiba added.

“Was Saki wearing gloves at that time?” Conan interjected.

“No, she wasn't.” Chiba shook his head. “The victim took the elevator to the 11th floor and got off there.” he continued. “The stairs have to be taken to reach the roof, but she didn't fall off the roof until an hour later. Then, there's her phone. Her last incoming call was from a nearby payphone. She came to this building shortly after receiving it.”

“Which means, the person who called invited her up to the roof, where they got into a fight.” Megure concluded. “So, it's possible that she was pushed.”

“According to the victim's colleagues, she used to be a good-natured woman well-liked by everyone.” Chiba informed Megure after receiving a report from the officers at Midorikawa's workplace. “But for whatever reason, her personality suddenly changed about three years ago. She started extorting coworkers and customers. People didn't think highly of her.”

“I see.” Megure noted. “I'm going to watch the autopsy. You two question the people she was extorting.”

“Detective Takagi.” Conan called out. “Saki was pushed at an intersection yesterday. And there are three people who have been glaring at her.”  
  


* * *

“We should talk to the three of them.” Chiba remarked, after Manager Ogi opened the apartment for them.

“Yeah.” Takagi agreed. “Although Dojima has an alibi.”

* * *

“I don't know anything her.” Tachibana insisted.

“She saw you doing something unsavory from that window, didn't she?” Conan asked.

“And she was blackmailing you with it, right, Tachibana?” Takagi took over.

“I did receive a threatening letter yesterday.” Tachibana confessed.

“Could we take a look at it” Chiba requested. “So you hastily attempted to silence her yesterday.” he reasoned after reading the letter, but when you failed, you tried again today.”

“No.” Tachibana protested. “I was here in my apartment when she fell. And I have an abili for yesterday.”

“Then, what exactly did she see?” Fumio asked. “You're still under suspicion for murder, you know.”

“I took this off without thinking.” Tachibana sighed, pulling off his wig that covered the bald top of his head.

* * *

“This arrived today.” Konno showed the two detectives the similar letter she received. “But I'd never do that. I was here when that woman died. After all, Saki called me and told me to stay here.”

“What did she say?” Takagi pressed.

“I suppose it can't be helped.” Konno relented and related that Midorikawa had known that it was her who pushed her at the intersection the day before. “If she told anyone...”

“What did she see you doing?” Chiba inquired.

“I heard a wealthy man was looking for a love child he conceived a long time ago.” Konno answered. “I disguised myself as Konno Michiyo in order to blackmail him, but...” 'she' pulled 'her' bathrobe apart to reveal that 'she' was actually male. “My real name is Numagaki Daihachi. I'm a man. And she saw me.”

* * *

“They found sedatives in her body?” Takagi echoed after the autopsy report came in, Chiba was arresting Numagaki for suspected murder.

“So, it was him.” Genta declared.

“But that letter and phone call were clearly...” Conan frowned.

“I see.” Ayumi realized. “She may have seen their secrets while I was over.”

“A friend?” Conan echoed after Ayumi relayed the unusual statement.

“Maybe she thought he was someone else since he looked different from usual.” Mitsuhiko suggested.

“No, wait...” Conan frowned. “That's...”

“Sounds like she was robbed.” Haibara noted, after Akabane Towa dashed out of the apartment to make a robbery report to the arriving police officers.

“We saw her this morning too.” Conan agreed. “Come to think of it... and Room 202... then the friend Saki saw was...” his mind churning, he returned to Midorikawa's unit to confirm his suspicions.

* * *

“So she saw the thief.” Ayumi concluded.

“But isn't that unrelated to the murder?” Genta pointed out. “Numagaki's the one who killed her.”

“But we still don't know...” Conan frowned.

“Anyway, she lived quite frugally for someone blackmailing people.” Haibara looked around.

“Maybe that's her boyfriend.” Ayumi peered over Fumio's shoulder, the blond boy having picked up a photo frame.

“His name is Suenaga Ryo.” Omori Hiroe, the landlady supplied. “They lived here together. But he suddenly moved out. He forced his shady debts onto Saki. That was three autumns ago.”

“Then, the reason she resorted to blackmailing is because...” Fumio's eyes widened.

“She started extorting people to pay off his debts.” Conan came to the same conclusion.

“Saki must have really loved Suenaga.” Omori reminisced. “She waited for him, believing he's someday return.”

“It sounds like she often looked out her window, but was that...” Conan mused. “Did you tell anyone that Saki was waiting for Suenaga to return?” he asked Omori.

“I told that detective woman last night.” Omori recalled. “She asked me to tell her all about it since her investigation was very important to Saki.”

“I've got it.” Conan breathed, all the dots were now connected. “It even explains how they got Saki to come to the crime scene.” with that, he returned back to the crime scene, with the others following closely behind.

* * *

Later that evening...

“What do you mean, you need my advice?” Dojima was called up to the roof by the kids.

“Apparently, Midorikawa Saki was murdered.” Genta began. “But there are some thing us Detective Boys can't figure out.”

“Since you're such a great social critic, we thought we could use your advice.” Mitsuhiko cut in.

“Fine then.” Dojima relented.

“When she died, Saki was wearing gloves.” Conan started. “I wonder why.”

“To protect her hands from UV rays, right?” Dojima reasoned.

“Or maybe the culprit put them on her.” Fumio commented.

“Why would they do that to push her off the roof?” Dojima retorted.

“Because she didn't come to the roof.” Conan declared. “That's why they put the gloves on her. They needed it to make sense that Saki's fingerprints weren't on the door to the roof. After exiting the elevator on the 11th floor, she visited you in Room 1107. On a whim, you made a spare of the key you found and robbed Room 202. And then, Saki saw you. Your theft would surely bye discovered, and even if Saki's memory was hazy, if you started appearing on TV, she was sure to notice.”

“And in a hurry to silence her, you also noticed others who didn't like her.” Fumio continued. “It was then you realized she had seen their secrets as well.”

“And you used that against them.” Mitsuhiko cut in.

“Impersonating Saki, you delivered the letters so they would silence her.” Conan added.

“And Numagaki fell for it.” Genta stated.

“But he failed and Saki his the attempt on her life.” Conan commented. “Since she knew she incurred the ire of others, she thought that's what it was. Next, you plotted the frame Numagaki. You impersonated Saki and called Numagaki on the phone so he wouldn't have an alibi. Then, you invited Saki to your own apartment, using the information you got from the landlady the night before to lie about having information about Suenaga. When Saki ran over and you put her to sleep with sedatives, you made look like she was pushed from the roof. You placed Saki on the platform made of the materials and ice you bought last night. Then, you pretended to look for a lost item on the ground and waited for the ice to melt and Saki to fall. That gave you an alibi and nobody noticed the contraption on your balcony because of the balloons you used to hide her.”

“This is ridiculous.” Dojima chuckled. “It's all just conjecture. You don't have a single piece of evidence.”

“One of the balloons is missing from its string.” Fumio supplied. “There was a thin scratch on Saki's neck; so maybe it got caught on her when she fell. So, we searched for the missing balloon.”

“You kids were right about this.” Takagi voiced, entering the rooftop with Chiba in tow and the recovered balloon in hand. “The abrasion on Midorikawa Saki's neck and the shape of the string were a perfect match.”

“And we found fingerprints matching the ones on your lease on the balloon.” Chiba added.

“A single balloon isn't evidence.” Dojima laughed.

“But that in itself connects you to the deceased Saki.” Fumio pointed out. “The police can search your apartment now. And I'm quite sure they'll be able to find all kinds of things.””

“The woman in Room 02 is an eyesore.” Dojima growled. “Despite being so stupid, she wore all those jewels. I swiped them because she needed to be brought down a peg. But she...”

“Once the robbery is discovered, Saki might have blackmailed you.” Conan agreed.

“That woman was evil!” Dojima screeched.

“Being evil doesn't give you the right to kill her.” Conan snapped. “She was also a kind person, waiting for her beloved to return.”


	73. Intrigue at the Food Court

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“I wonder what Conan-kun is doing now?” Ayumi sighed, the Detective Boys were walking to Beika Central Park.

“The Professor suddenly said he had to go to Hokkaido.” Mitsuhiko added.

“He's probably stuffing himself full of tasty foods, like eel.” Genta pouted.

“Why is it always eel with you, Genta?” Fumio sighed.

“So, tada!” Genta grinned, pulling out a flyer. “We should go to this event without him.”

“The Beika City Farmer's Market?” Ayumi read the flyer.

“It's an event where farmers bring their produce to sell.” Mitsuhiko explained.

“Lots of food trucks are coming, too.” Genta piped in. “And kids in grade school or younger eat free.”

“So, that's what you're after in the first place.” Fumio nodded knowingly.

“There's a police event, too.” Ayumi blinked. “He's wearing his uniform, but there's Inspector Megure, right?” she pointed to the lower potion of the flyer.

“What?” a voice sounded from the bushes. “What do you mean it won't arrive on time? Didn't you say you ordered it?”

“Keep your voice down.” Kanno Kaori chided.

“The shipping company made a mistake.” Yamawaki Yuji explained. “What can we do? We'll have to give up on today.”

“We can't!” Kanno protested. “What do you think we've been preparing for? If the stuff won't arrive today, we can just go buy it.”

“No, there is still time.” Kadokura Nobuo corrected. “It could still work out.”

“You're right.” Kanno agreed. “Let's have an explosive time, just like we planned.”

“Did you hear that?” Mitsuhiko whispered.

“She said something about having an explosive time.” Genta nodded.

“Speaking of explosions...” Ayumi trailed.

“A bomb!” Genta exclaimed.

“But it's just a fish market.” Fumio pointed out. “What are they trying to explode?”

“Inspector Megure?” the other three chorused as one.

“They're leaving.” Genta pointed out, the group seeing the three suspects splitting up.

“Split up and follow them.” Fumio instructed, when the other three turned to him.

“But I'm hungry.” Genta whined.

“Genta, what is more important, your stomach or Inspector Megure's life?” Fumio retorted.

“Alright.” Genta relented. “Let's split up and follow them.”

* * *

In the market square...

“Sato-san, security is in place.” Takagi reported. “We just finished combing the area for suspicious persons, too.”

“The background checks on the food truck owners and vendors came back clean?” Sato asked.

“Yes.” Takagi nodded. “We've asked them to present the identification papers they prepared beforehand when they enter the park.”

“Inspector Megure's speech is in about two hours.” Sato reminded. “Let's patrol the area again.”

* * *

Later...

“I see, so you overheard us.” Kadokura noted, after having caught Mitsuhiko trailing him.

“Could you please explain?” Fumio demanded.

“An explosive time, huh?” Kadokura chuckled. “That certainly sounds like we're setting up a bomb.”

“What's going on?” Yamawaki shouted. “Who's the kid?”

“The two of you, be careful!” Genta ran up. “He was buying oil and gas at the hardware store. They must be planning on building a bomb with it.”

“No way.” Yamawaki chuckled, after Kadokura told him.

“Listen, this is an misunderstanding.” Kadokura explained. “This is our food truck. “We're trying to sell our chicken rice here today.”

“Chicken rice?” Genta echoed.

“It's one of Singapore's signature dishes.” Fumio remarked.

“We work in a nearby restaurant called Marina.” Kadokura added. “We decided to participate in this event to show off our best dish. If we do well today, the restaurant will get lots of customers starting tomorrow.”

“The explosive time you heard us talking about was in reference to explosive sales.” Yamawaki stated.

“Chicken rice, huh?” Genta mused. “That sounds good.”

“Then, what did you get at the cigarette shop?” Mitsuhiko was relentless.

“These.” Kadokura pulled out the stack of printed flyers from the paper bag. “I had a printer friend make them for me. Since I ordered them late, they weren't finished until today. I was supposed to pick them up at a cafe, but he was too busy to come, so he called to say he left them with the shop he regularly visits.

“It seems like we were confused.” Ayumi admitted, returning with Kanno. “They're not bad people.”

“I ran into this one when I returned to the restaurant to pick up the prepped chicken.” Kanno related. “Since I had the apron and knife we use to butcher chicken, I scared her.”

“They were just trying to cook.” Ayumi sighed.

“Then, why would you need so much oil and gas?” Fumio posted a question.

“There was a mistake and our stuff didn't arrive.” Yamawaki answered. “We did the basic prep work at the restaurant, but we heat up the soup and make the sauce inside the food truck.”

“We received our eating and cooking utensils, but we don't have any gas or oil.” Kadokura stated. “We considered giving up, but we managed to get everything in time by going out and buying it. Although the unnecessary expense will probably put us in the red.”

“Don't worry, if we spread the name Marina here, starting tomorrow...” Kanno started.

“Our sales could explode.” Yamawaki bragged.

“Then, let us try out your chicken rice.” Fumio suggested. “If you really work at a restaurant, you should be able to make some chicken rice.”

“We're not open yet, but...” Kanno shrugged.

“Four chicken rice ready.” Kadokura presented four takeout boxes after opening the food truck.

“Thanks for waiting.” Kanno served up the takeout boxes. “Use as much sauce as you like. We didn't make it too spicy.”

“It's nothing like I imagined.” Mitsuhiko blinked.

“It's not red.” Genta noted.

“Singapore chicken rice is rice cooked in chicken broth and topped with steamed chicken.” Fumio explained.

“Then, you cover it with whatever sauces you want and eat it.” Kadokura brought out two bottles of sauce.

“It's the national dish of Singapore.” Yamawaki piped in.

“Thanks for the food.” the kids dug in.

“We're really sorry.” Mitsuhiko apologized. “We were just confused.”

“Can I ask you one more thing?” Ayumi voiced when the food truck shut. “Why do you have a giant star stuck on your food truck?”

“This?” Yamawaki turned to the star. “We like stargazing. On our days off, we always go stargazing.”

“We just went last week.” Kanno supplied.

“Be careful on your way back.” Kadokura sent the kids off.

* * *

  
“You kids.” Takagi noticed the four children.

“Detectives Sato and Takagi.” Mitsuhiko blinked.

“What are you doing?” Sato asked. “The event hasn't opened yet.”

“This and that.” Ayumi giggled.

“Those guys made us chicken rice.” Genta pointed.

“Chicken rice?” Takagi echoed. “You mean rice flavored with ketchup?”

“No, Singaporean chicken rice is totally different.” Genta corrected.

“You serve steamed chicken over rice and eat it with all kinds of sauces.” Ayumi stated.

“They certainly must work at a Singaporean restaurant.” Sato mused.

“Fumio, what's wrong?” Takagi noticed the slight frown in the younger boy's face.

“Something just doesn't add up.” Fumio muttered. Then, his eyes widened when he connected the dots. “Those three... they're lying!”

“Huh?” Mitsuhiko, Genta and Ayumi echoed in unison.

“That star on the truck...” Fumio started. “If those three were indeed workers of a Singapore restaurant, then they should know that Singapore is known as the 'Star Country'!”

“Then...” Mitsuhiko gasped.

“Those three really are planning on planting a bomb!?” Genta exclaimed.

“Takagi, report this to Inspector Megure!” Sato instructed.

“Right away!” Takagi ran off.

“The four of you, get out now.” Sato pointed to the park exit.

“Yes!” the four kids nodded and fled the scene.


	74. The Killer Fist of Talos, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“This is it.” Professor Agasa led the Detective Boys and ran in front of the Kagami Studios building. “Shall we go?” he led the youngsters in.

“I've been waiting for you.” Kagami Shinobu greeted.

“Sorry to trouble you, Shinobu-san.” Professor Agasa apologized.

“The president said he wanted to speak with you.” Shinobu informed.

“It must be about that plan we discussed the other day.” Professor Agasa noted. “What did that... what did your father say?”

“I'm sorry, but you'll have to ask him yourself.” Shinobu insisted. “He's in his office. I'll show the rest of you around.”

“Thank you, please do.” Professor Agasa made himself scarce.

* * *

“That dome over there is for tours.” Shinobu explained, leading the others off.

“The children must love it.” Ran remarked, seeing the fantasy-like props that littered the entrance.

“Unfortunately, it's designed by professionals.” Shinobu stated. “It's for requests for event characters and modeling. You can take all the pictures you want.” she told Ayumi.

“But what if another company copies your figures?” Conan taught to ask.

“You should watch out for corporate spies.” Mitsuhiko agreed.

“Don't worry, we check everyone's identity and possessions before taking them on tours.” Shinobu assured. “Besides, it's not that easy to get inside the studio. Come in.” she opened the studio doors.

“Is that...” Fumio peered at the dangling goblin hanging upside down from the ceiling. “A goblin that appears in Western fairy tales? They are rather mischievous little imps.”

“This is the Greek mythological ship, Argo.” Conan turned to the ship replica.

“Heroes like Perseus and Orpheus who became constellations rode on this ship.” Haibara added.

* * *

“It's like a dream.” Ran gawked, the group having arrived at the studio's main attraction.

“That castle look rather familiar...” Fumio's attention was centered on the white castle that oversaw the cliff. “Is that the castle from Cinderella?”

“Good eye.” Shinobu praised.

“It's Sun Wukong.” Mitsuhiko spotted the humanoid monkey cruising across the sky.

“That's right.” Shinobu nodded “He's riding the Jidou cloud. He appears in China's 'Journey to the West'. That's the flying boat in the sky.” she added, using the remote control in her hand to activate a large crescent-shaped ship. “It's a legendary ship that appears in Japanese mythology.” another pressed of the remote control activated the plants on the ground.

“It's a mandragora!” Genta exclaimed, seeing the root creature come to life.

“Isn't that the roc?” Haibara wondered as a giant bird flew across the sky.

“Yeah, from the Adventures of Sinbad.” Conan confirmed. “The Garuda?” he gaped as another giant bird, this time in red flew past. “They've even got Indian mythological creatures.”

Shinobu just smiled and activated the studio's main attraction; the over-sized Talos.

“Make Talos stand up.” Ayumi requested.

“I'm sorry.” Shinobu sighed. “He's not finished from the legs down.”

“When is he going to be finished?” Mitsuhiko inquired.

“Unfortunately, he'll never be finished.” Hanyu Tadashi stepped onto the observation platform. We wouldn't want to get people's hopes up. Honestly, it's quite difficult to build the entire body of something that large.”

“Because it's too expensive?” Haibara guessed.

* * *

“I'm really sorry about today.” Shinobu apologized as she walked the group out of the studio later that night.

“It's fine.” Professor Agasa assured. “Give my best to you father.”

“What was that?” Conan gasped, the group having seen the lights on the studio's main dome flick out for a moment before a pained scream was heard. A second later, the lights came back on.

“Tadashi-san?” Shinobu recognized the voice.

* * *

“Where are you?” Ayumi shouted, the group hurried back into the dome.

“There!” Fumio pointed to the observation deck. “Isn't that Hanyu-san?”


	75. The Killer Fist of Talos, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“Tadashi-san!” Shinobu tried to rouse Hanyu awake.

Just then, Yamagata Tokuichi has also arrived at the accident site.

“What?” Professor Agasa gaped. “It wasn't an accident?”

“No,” Conan confirmed. “Judging by the wound on his head, it's hard to imagine this was an accident.”

“Which means the culprit is still...” Yamagata realized.

“Somewhere around here.” Ran finished the sentence.

“What's going on?” Kagami Eizo had also arrived at the incident site. “Hanyu!” he recognized the victim.

“What's happening?” the studio's head of security, too had arrived.

“He's still breathing.” Professor Agasa related. “We've already called for an ambulance. More importantly...”

“It's likely the culprit is still lurking nearby.” Yamagata interjected. “Search the area.”

“The culprit might have a weapon.” Professor Agasa cautioned before the security guard headed out. “Be careful.”

“What is this?” Shinobu swiped up some silver dust from the side of Hanyu's head. “I found this on my hand.” she showed it to Professor Agasa. “I think it was next to Tadashi-san's head injury.”

“I recognize that color.” Professor Agasa remarked.

“Isn't that the color of Talos?” Ran piped in.

“Could it be...” Professor Agasa gasped and the group turned to the oversized titan. “Did those fists strike Hanyu-san?”

“That's impossible.” Kagami objected. “Talos has no legs. He couldn't do that.”

“We didn't find any suspicious persons inside the dome.” the security guards reported back. “Just figures and models that fell when the power went out.”

“Could they have entered through a window or vent?” Kagami inquired.

“There are no signs of that, either.” the security guard answered. “We're checking the security camera footage right now, but we haven't found any suspicious persons.”

“Then, who hit Hanyu?” Kagami questioned.

* * *

Later...

“So the culprit took advantage of the opportunity to escape.” Inspector Megure concluded, once his team was called and Hanyu was taken to hospital.

“But we ran here as soon as we heard him scream.” Professor Agasa pointed out. “I don't think they have the time to do that.”

“Either way, this had to be the work of someone intimately familiar with the facility.” Inspector Megure noted.

“Hey, President.” Conan voiced. “How many controls are there that controls the dome's facilities?”

“There are two.” Kagami answered. “Yamagata and the tour guide Shinobu each have one.”

“Yamagata-san, do you have your remote with you right now?” Conan turned to the designer.

“You must mean this.” Yamagata pulled out the remote control from his coat.

“Can you differentiate it from the other remote?” Conan pressed.

“No, they're both the same shape.” Yamagata answered.

“We'll start by asking everyone their alibi.” Inspector Megure cut in. “President Kagami, what were you doing?”

* * *

“Looking for something, Conan?” Fumio asked, the children having followed Conan to the grass plains on the dome's floor.

“Good timing.” Conan grinned. “Could you split up and look for a remote? You can stay within a ten meter radius.”

“Got it, Captain.” Fumio saluted.

* * *

“We'll begin thoroughly searching the entire studio for the culprit.” Inspector Megure informed the gathered security guards.

“There's no need for that.” Professor Agasa cut in. “I know who did it. There are two remotes that control the dome's facilities. Isn't that right, President Kagami? And one of them was used during the crime. The power came back on immediately after it was shut off, but...”

“During that moment, all the models floating in the air fell.” using his voice-changing bow-tie, Conan took over. “But one of them behaved unnaturally: the floating boat. When the power goes out, the no longer suspended swinging boat should fall to its lowest point. However, the floating boat is over there.” the group returned back to the dome. “In a different position from the one it was before the attack.”

“How did that happen?” Inspector Megure asked.

“I was the first to notice.” Conan piped in. “I was looking through the photos Ayumi took. See?” she showed the Inspector the related photograph. “This was the floating boat's final position during our tour, and now it's over there after the attack.”

“Yamagata-san, do you know anything about it?” Professor Agasa turned to the designer.

“Or maybe Hanyu-san had a remote during the attack.” Conan suggested.

“As the last to arrive, wouldn't you have the opportunity to retrieve the remote while we were distracted by discovering the injured Hanyu-san?” Professor Agasa pressed.

“I don't know anything.” Yamagata denied.

“Yamagata-san, won't you the one who overheard my conversation with Kagami in his office?” Professor Agasa asked.

“Then, you should hate me.” Kagami turned to his employee. “Why did you attack Hanyu?”

“That's right.” Yamagata shook Kagami off. “You were my target. I tried to set a trap for you. I left your a note. I wasn't expecting Hanyu to be there.”

“I finally get it now.” Professor Agasa sighed. “Hanyu wanted to present your new product to the Suzuki Conglomerate as a gift, without realizing that it was a trap.”


	76. The Dangerous Fossil Finding Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“I had no idea ammonites were so pretty.” Ayumi gushed, the Detective Boys were visiting the Oninohamura Lodge Fossil Mansion.

“I thought fossils looked more like rocks.” Mitsuhiko noted.

“Your typical fossil is much more plain-looking.” Professor Agasa explained.

“Then, why is this one so sparkly?” Genta asked.

“Because it's made differently.” Conan answered. “Typically, fossils are made when the matter that comprises bones and shells are replaced by minerals.”

“That sparkly one is sparkly because it is replaced with a gemstone like opal.” Haibara took over.

“You kids sure are knowledgeable.” Ogami Akira stated.

“You've got quite a number of rare fossils.” Fumio informed the museum owner.

“You've got a keen eye.” Ogami praised. “They were purchases overseas. I'm proud of my collection. I'll be going to America next month to buy more. The world largest mineral fair is held in Tucson, Arizona.” he led the group into his office. “Hello.” he took the call when his cellphone rang. “You've arrived. I'll be right there.”

* * *

“Let's find an ammonite.” Genta declared, the group were now at the excavation site.

“Genta, you're not going to find ammonite.” Conan pointed out.

“But why?” Genta whined.

“Different types of fossils are found in different layers of earth.” Haibara explained. “All you'll find here are either clam or oyster fossils.”

“Although, ornithomimus dinosaur bones and footprints have also been found before.” Fumio slid on his safety goggles.

* * *

“Ayumi, what's wrong?” Conan hurried to the toilet when the group heard Ayumi's horrified scream. “Ogami!” he gasped, seeing the dead museum owner on the floor, both hands around his neck. _This smell..._ he frowned.

* * *

“I see.” Inspector Yamamura peered at the crime scene. “The victim is Oninohamura Lodge and Fossil museum owner, Ogami Akira, and the cause of death is cyanide poisoning. The victim didn't eat or drink anything during the fossil excavation tour. Which means someone poisoned the bathroom beforehand and made the victim touch it.”

“Do you think we did it?” Nakatani Sogen, the mayor realized the Inspector's implication.

“We'd never do that.” Miyashita Umika, a freelance journalist who had been visiting the lodge, protested.

“That's right.” Nakatani agreed. “Besides, why would someone choose to kill him like that? These children could have been harmed. I don't think this is a criminal case. Ogami seemed worried about something for a few days now. He said he couldn't sleep and wanted to die.”

“Maybe it was because of the moon's droppings.” Miyashita reasoned. “The truth is, I came here to expose that that fossil's origins were faked. I believe the moon's droppings were found at a different excavation site.”

“So Ogami killed himself because he thought he'd be discovered?” Inspector Yamamura pressed.

“Yes,” Miyashita nodded. “He said there was something he wanted to confess to me. Perhaps he couldn't bear the guilt any longer.”

“This looks like suicide.” Inspector Yamamura declared.

“But Ogami was excited about his trip next month.” Conan piped in. “He said he was planning to go to America. There was a plane ticket on his table. Would someone considering suicide buy plane tickets?”

“It's not too late to decide that until we determine if there's poison present or not.” Professor Agasa pointed out. “We haven't searched everyone yet, either.”

* * *

“That mayor is definitely the culprit.” Conan's brain went into overdrive once he heard the forensics personnel report that Ogami's sanitary wipes were more acidic than normal. “But there's no proof.”

“Why are all of them dead?” Genta's surprised question sounded from the back of the toilet. “There's lots of dead bugs.” he informed Conan who had dashed to the back of the toilet.

“Could it be...” Fumio turned to the group of bugs fluttering around the toilet's ventilation window.

“Don't touch those.” Conan warned.

* * *

“It wasn't a suicide.” Professor Agasa cut in on Inspector Yamamura. “It's a murder. I finally found out how the culprit killed Ogami. Ogami didn't consume the poison. Aren't there other methods in taking in poisons besides swallowing or licking them?”

“The victim inhaled the poison.” Miyashita realized.

“Inhaled?” Inspector Yamamura echoed. “How?”

“People say cyanide compounds kill when they're swallowed.” Professor Agasa stated. “But actually, the compound itself is not poisonous. However, once it enters your body, it reacts with your stomach acid, creating a poisonous gas. In other words, adding acid to a cyanide compound creates a poisonous gas. The culprit probably dissolved the cyanide compound in the toilet bowl. Once the acid is added, the poisonous gas will be released. The acid was added not by the culprit, but Ogami himself.”

“When he wiped his hands on this sanitary wipe and tossed it,” Conan popped in, handing over a used wipe.

“The culprit added diluted hydrochloic acid to the sanitary wipes.” Professor Agasa continued. “With this method, even if someone entered the bathroom before him, the cyanide compound would be harmlessly flushed away. The culprit most likely told Ogami they hid something valuable in the bathroom so he'd search for it. The clean-freak Ogami used the sanitary wipes to wipe his hands and threw it into the toilet. The poisonous gas was formed and Ogami died.”

“So, who did it?” Inspector Yamamura asked.

“The only one who knew Ogami was a clean-freak who carried sanitary wipes with him,” Professor Agasa turned to Nakatani. “Nakatani, you're the only one.”

“That's just your theory.” Nakatani objected. “What about evidence? Do you have any proof that Ogami inhaled a poisonous gas?”

“There is one piece of solid evidence.” Professor Agasa declared.

* * *

  
“There are just dead bugs.” Nakatani retorted, the group were now led to the back of the toilet. “What's so important about those?”

“We examined them at Agasa's request.” the forensics officer reported. “Like the victim, these bugs were poisoned with cyanide.”

“There.” Fumio pointed to the ventilation window. “This spot is right beneath the ventilation fan.”

“The bugs gathered around the fan must have inhaled the poisonous gas.” Professor Agasa pointed out. “Fearing the poisonous gas would remain inside the bathroom, you must have left the fan on, but it backfired.”

“That's right.” Nakatani confessed. “I killed Ogami.”

“You're the one who lied about the moon's droppings coming from this village, too.” Inspector Yamamura accused.

“No, they were accomplices.” Conan corrected.

“That's right.” Nakatani admitted. “We came up with the idea together, but he tried to place all the blame on me. So I told him I had a tape of evidence and told him to come to the bathroom. If I didn't kill him, my political career would've been over.”


	77. Search for Maria-chan, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“No one is answering.” Mitsuhiko noted, Genta had been ringing the Higashio doorbell to no avail.

“And it's locked.” Genta added.

“You guys really have no idea?” Haibara asked.

“No.” Mitsuhiko nodded.

“Wasn't she looking forward to having curry for lunch today?” Genta wondered.

“Now that you mention it, she said she found a letter from her dead grandma in her desk drawer the other day.” Ayumi recalled. “She told me about it yesterday.”

“Then it's most likely she went to look for the treasure.” Fumio mused. “Wait a minute, this is the problem for you Class 1-B; what has it got anything to do with me?”

“But, Maria-chan likes you, Fumio.” Ayumi whined.

“Did she say where her grandmother's house is?” Haibara cut in, taking the heat off Fumio.

“She said it was across the street, so that's probably it.” Ayumi answered and turned to the house on the opposite side of the road.

* * *

“Isn't that Maria's shoes and backpack?” Fumio recognized the pair of shoes and bag that were discarded on the floor at the front entrance.

“Looks like she came here before going to school.” Haibara surmised.

“There's a note next to the welcome mat.” Ayumi spotted the piece of paper taped to the ground beside the entrance mat. “It says, 'Start. Maria-chan, good luck.'”

“I see.” Haibara smiled. “So, this arrow points to the direction of the treasure or a hint to its location.”

“I found something.” Genta opened the door down the hallway. “Over there. That's a big arrow.” he gawked at the black arrow that was taped on the table.

“'Good grooming habits are essential for girls.'” Ayumi read the note taped beside the arrow. “'Did you check for bedhead?'”

“But the problem is, if we follow the arrow, it takes us back to the first arrow we found in the entryway.” Haibara reminded.

Reaching over the table, Fumio opened the three-way vanity mirror hidden inside the small closet. “And another arrow appears.” he grinned.

“Which means, the arrow isn't pointing to the entryway but to this room.” Mitsuhiko pointed to the room opposite of the room the group were in.

“The bookcase fell!” Ayumi exclaimed, the group gaping in horror when they saw the overturned bookcase when Haibara opened the door.

“Let's get it back up.” Genta urged.

“But why did only this bookcase fall?” Ayumi wondered.

“Maria-chan probably removed the thick encyclopedias from the bottom shelf and used them as a footstool.” Haibara reasoned. “They became unbalanced while she was doing something, so it fell during the earthquake this afternoon.”

“Look at this.” Genta pointed to the two stoppers in the middle of the second shelf. “There are two weird boxes stuck here so they won't fall out even if the bookshelf does.”

“These books on the floor are manga that Maria-chan likes.” Ayumi added.

“There's a note inside the book.” Mitsuhiko squatted down. “'Don't forget to put things in order.'” he read the note.

“Maybe these books on the floor are meant to be put back on the bookshelf?” Fumio suggested.

“Maria removed the big encyclopedias so she could use them as a footstool, so we can ignore them.” Haibara reasoned. “Let's start by putting these manga that recently published volume 82, onto the shelves, starting at the top left.”

“We put the books back in order, but...” Mitsuhiko stated, once the children replaced the manga back on the shelves.

“I don't get it.” Genta complained.

“But each shelf fit 30 books.” Ayumi pointed out. “Now we know the middle four books on the top two shelves don't have covers.”

“But the third shelf is a mess.” Mitsuhiko remarked. “We had to put the books sideways because the boxes are in the way.”

“Maybe... perhaps...” Fumio walked forwards and readjusted to the two mislaid books. “Instead of tilting them sideways, what if we form a V-shape?” he shifted one of the books.

“But how do we go down?” Genta wondered, now seeing the downward pointing arrow.

“There should be a basement somewhere.” Fumio thought.

“There!” Haibara walked out of the room and pointed to the staircase that led down to the basement at the end of the hallway.


	78. Search for Maria-chan, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“This room seems to be directly beneath that arrow.” Mitsuhiko led the group into the next room.

“What a cute room.” Ayumi gushed, taking in the pink, girly room when the lights were switched on. “Maria must have stayed in this room when she came to this house.”

“Isn't it kind of cold in here?” Genta shivered.

“We are in the basement.” Mitsuhiko reminded. “So, where's the next arrow?”

“I don't see an arrow.” Haibara stated. “But there's a note stuck to the bedside table next to the bed.”

'Now you can use the bathroom during the night.'” she read. “She must've meant to turn on this light before going to bed, so...” she turned the night light on. “Could you turn out the lights?”

“But it doesn't look like an arrow.” Mitsuhiko pointed out, switching off the lights.

“Perhaps...” Fumio put the fallen photo frame back to its original position.

“The shadow changed for some reason.” Genta remarked, seeing the shadow in the wall.

“This doll...” Fumio picked up the fallen doll on the ground and placed it back to its original spot. “Is there anything on the floor over there?” he asked. “Try standing that sailboat back up.” he pointed to the fallen over boat.

“Amazing.” Mitsuhiko gasped, seeing the arrow shape on the wall once Genta moved away. “There's an arrow on the wall.”

“Then, the next one must be in the room next door.” Ayumi ran out. “It's a bathroom.” she entered the bathroom.

“But there's an very obvious arrow in here.” Mitsuhiko pointed to the wall taped to the wall.

“But the only thing it is pointing towards is the bath.” Genta noted.

“There's a note in front of the arrow on the sink.” Haibara informed. “'Take care of my bird.'”

“What bird?” Ayumi wondered.

“Won't it mean this doll?” Fumio bobbed the bird toy that was on the sink.

“It seems to have a beak.” Haibara noted.

“But how do we take care of it?” Genta asked.

“Let me try.” Fumio stepped forward and filled the gargling glass with water from the tap. Putting the glass of water in front of the toy bird, he tapped the bird's head once to dip it into the water.

“It's like it's actually drinking water.” Mitsuhiko was surprised to see the bird dunk it's head into the glass repeatedly.

“The arrow is pointing the other way.” Mitsuhiko exclaimed, the group peering through the glass.

“Why?” Ayumi gasped.

“The water in the glass is refracting the light, changing the focal point because of Snell's Law.” Haibara explained. “It makes objects appear flipped.”

“In other words, the arrow is pointing not to the shower room in the bath, but that room across the bathroom.” Mitsuhiko concluded.

“The door won't budge an inch whether you push or pull.” Genta was struggling at the doorknob when Mitsuhiko suddenly sneezed.

“I see how it is.” Fumio realized. “The door won't open because the room on the other side of the door is warmer than the hallway. The air pressure is keeping the door shut from the inside. If we all push the knob turned, it should open.”

“Maria!” Haibara rushed into the room once the door was open.

“How is she?” Mitsuhiko asked, the rest of the group untangled themselves.

“It's okay.” Haibara assured. “She's just asleep.”

“The room is covered with Maria-chan and her grandparents.” Ayumi looked around to see the blown-up pictures that decorated the walls.

“That's a lot of home movies.” Mitsuhiko gawked at the cabinet full of tapes.

“I see.” Haibara realized what the treasure was. “This room full of their memories is their treasure.”

“Guys?” Maria yawned and opened her eyes to see the group beside her. “What's going on?”

“You missed school.” Ayumi informed.

“We were worried, so we came here.” Mitsuhiko added.

“School?” Maria echoed. “I was going to go to school after watching this video, but I couldn't open the door. I thought I had to finish watching to open the door, but I started getting sleepy. I fell asleep, and now I'm hungry.”

* * *

Meanwhile, in Cafe Poirot...

“By the way, do you have any plans for Christmas, Amuro?” Azusa asked.

“Not really.” Amuro answered. “Just a family dinner with Ami and Fumio-kun.”

“I see.” Azusa noted. “The manager wants to plan our shift schedule for December, so he wanted me to ask you.”

_A message?_ Amuro pulled out his cellphone when a message came in. ' _Seeking information on Kudo Shinichi.'_ He read the new text. ' _Time is money. Hurry, Bourbon. Rum.' Roger._ He smiled and replied the message.

* * *

Later that night...

“About the code that was left at Haneda Koji's murder scene,” Ami started after she and Amuro tucked Fumio into bed.

“ASACA and RUM.” Amuro stated.

“I've discussed it with Akai-shishou and we came to the same conclusion: the code isn't supposed to be split into ASACA and RUM, but rather, it should be read as a single name containing all right letters.” Ami informed her lover.

“Karasuma Renya...” Amuro breathed in shock.

“The multi-millionaire that doesn't exist.” Ami nodded.

“Damn...” Amuro muttered.


	79. The Cost of Likes, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes...

“You're lucky it's just a scratch.” Mitsuhiko remarked, the Detective Boys were visiting Genta who had been admitted to hospital.

“We were worried, you know.” Ayumi voiced. “We heard you were taken to hospital.”

“Sorry.” Genta apologized. “That Kagura guy protected me.” he turned to the other patient on the bed beside him.

“It was unfortunate for us both.” Kagura Sumito remarked.

“But because of me, your arm...” Genta muttered.

“It's not your fault.” Kagura assured. “Don't worry about it. Besides, I might be able to use this.”

“So, did they catch the culprit?” Genta asked Conan.

“Not yet.” Conan answered.

“Darn,” Genta cursed. “Who would do something like that?”

“Either way, they sure did cause a lot of trouble.” Haibara looked around the ward to see the injured patients.

“All the patients here were collateral damage, right?” Mitsuhiko noted.

“Yeah.” Genta nodded. “This Otsubo guy lives in Aobadai.” he turned to the other patient on his other side.

“That's pretty far, right?” Ayumi wondered.

“I happened to be in Beika City, and look what happened to me.” Otsubo stated. “I'm so unlucky.”

“How truly unfortunate for you..” Kagura agreed.

“Hey, Kagura.” Kochiyama Ko entered with Ibe Haruka.

“Are you okay?” Ibe Haruka asked.

“Who called us to visit him?” Kochiyama chided. “You're really unlucky.” he noted, seeing Kagura's bandaged arm.

“But I'm going to get compensated again.” Kagura stated.

“In that case,” Kochiyama brought out his camera phone. “Smile, Kagura. Look happy.”

“I'll earn more likes for you.” Kagura posed for the photo.

* * *

“It started with a phone call made to this bank.” Conan recounted the event that led to Genta being admitted to hospital; a phone call about a bomb threat was placed to the Yotsubishi Bank. “Shocked by the threat, the bank told all customers and employees to evacuate. However, the panicked customers cause collateral damage to the people who happened to be passing by in front of the bank. Pushed to the ground by the people rushing out of the bank, Genta and several others were injured and take to hospital. The phone used to make the call was determined to be a public phone near the bank. Because there was no explosion and no one explosive was found, it was thought to be a prank. Though the bank promised to cover their medical expenses and compensate the victims, it was an unfortunate incident for those involved nonetheless. You three seem unusually happy.” he informed Kagura, Kochiyama and Ibe.

“Kagura experienced collateral damage about half a month ago.” Kochiyama explained.

“I was out hiking alone.” Kagura took over. “I suffered collateral damage from an un-exploded bomb.

“Unlucky, right.” Kochiyama remarked. “But because of all the compensation money he received from the construction company, he was able to pay off all his debts at once.”

“Kochiyama is pretty cheeky, too.” Kagura added. “The next day, he took me back to the construction site; he used me to get more likes.”

“This is it.” Kochiyama showed Mitsuhiko the uploaded photo on his blog. “It's a good thing you were injured when you don't have any performances.” he told Kagura.

“He's an actor in some acting company.” Genta supplied.

“As a token of friendship,” Ibe dug into her handbag and pulled out a flyer. “We're the Chonenten Acting Company.”

“Come to think of it, isn't there a cafe with this name behind the station?” Mitsuhiko recalled.

“The chairman of our company runs that place.” Ibe explained.

“Anyway, whoever called the bank, I'm sure they only meant the prank them, but they injured people completely unrelated to the bank.” Kochiyama stated. “They must be feeling really bad about the stupid thing they did.”

“They'd better.” Ibe agreed.

“Let's have a drink tonight to cleanse you of this evil.” Kochiyama told Kagura. “You'll be at your apartment, right?”

* * *

After Genta was released from hospital...

Upon hearing Conan's analysis about Kagura's 'unfortunate' incidents in under a month and suspecting it to be no accident, the Detective Boys split off to investigate.

* * *

The next day...

“Otsubo?” Conan gasped, the Detective Boys were alerted by the sirens of a police car and hurried to the nearby park where they found Otsubo dead and the police had condoned off the area.

“Do you know him?” Chiba turned to the kids.

“Yeah.” Conan nodded. “Was he murdered?”

“We don't know the details yet, but he was probably stuck by a rock.” Takagi supplied. “We think it happened around eight last night.”

“You kids knew the victim?” Inspector Megure stepped in.

“You know the bomb threat made to that bank yesterday afternoon?” Genta reminded.

“Because it was a Friday at the end of the month, it caused a huge panic.” Haibara added.

“Genta got caught up in it.” Ayumi supplied.

“Otsubo was another one of the victims.” Mitsuhiko piped in.

“And the night of the incident, victim Otsubo was killed.” Inspector Megure mused. “We'll have to investigate to see if yesterday's bomb scare and this case are related.”


	80. The Cost of Likes, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“It's you kids.” Kagura opened his door to find the Detective Boys outside his doorstep.

“We need to talk.” Genta voiced.

“I don't know what it's about, but we can talk on the way.” Kagura stepped out of his apartment. “My payday was yesterday, but I never withdrew the money because of the commotion.”

* * *

“Murdered?” Kagura echoed after he was informed of Otsubo's death. “Otsubo was?”

“You already know about that, don't you?” Genta accused.

“Why would I?” Kagura inquired.

“By the way, Kagura,” Conan cut in. “Didn't you previously tell your acting company that you hoped to suffer collateral damage again so you'd receive more money?”

“Who said that?” Kagura scoffed. “I've never said anything so audacious.”

“That felt a little strange.” Haibara noted after Kagura walked into the bank.

“He doesn't seem to be lying.” Ayumi agreed.

“You're sure he said 'another tasty dream', right?” Conan asked.

* * *

  
“Kagura clearly said it, right?” Mitsuhiko pressed Dewa Chiichiro, the owner of the Chonenten cafe.

“That's what I heard.” Dewa replied.

“You didn't hear it directly from Kagura?” Mitsuhiko was surprised.

“Not directly.” Dewa answered. “I heard it from him.” he turned to A-Otoko who had entered the cafe. “Didn't Kagura say he hoped to suffer more collateral damage so he' get paid again?”

“Apparently.” A-Otoko took a seat at the counter.

“So you heard, apparently.” Haibara concluded. “It's all starting to sound suspicious.”

“Then who told you?” Conan asked.

“Kochiyama.” A-Otoko replied.

“She's a witness, too.” Mitsuhiko piped in, when B-Ko entered the cafe. “Didn't you say yesterday that Kagura hoped to suffer more collateral damage?”

“That's what I heard from Kochiyama.” B-Ko replied.

“Sound like Kochiyama is the source of everything.” Fumio mused.

“That might've been a lie.” Dewa suddenly remembered. “Kochiyama might have spread the rumor on purpose. If Haruka thought Kagura is a good-for-nothing, she might go to him instead.”

“Looks like the relationship between the three of them isn't just merely best friends anymore.” Fumio noted.

* * *

“Wait!” Conan burst into Kagura's apartment with Takagi, Chiba and the Detective Boys in tow, just as Kochiyama and Kagura were about to make a toast.

“Police.” Takagi flashed his badge. “We're coming in.”

“I don't think you should be drinking while you're injured.” Conan advised. “Or,” he swapped the two glasses of beer around. “Would you care to drink like this instead, Kagura, Kochiyama? It wasn't a coincidence that Kagura suffered collateral damage yesterday. He was set up by the culprit. Isn't that right, Kochiyama?” he cast a look at Kochiyama.

“What do you mean?” Kagura was confused.

“Yesterday, the 25th, was your payday.” Conan continued. “You were sure to go to that bank to withdraw that money. And since you're friends, naturally Kochiyama knew that. He disguised himself as a cleaning person and waited for you to arrive. Just when you arrived in front of the bank...”

“Why would Kochiyama do that?” Kagura asked.

“Kagura, half a month ago, you received monetary compensation when you were injured by an un-exploded bomb, right?” Conan stated. “You got a taste for that money, so you caused the panic yourself and pretended to be a victim in order to receive more money: that's what he wanted people to think.”

“I didn't do anything like that.” Kochiyama protested.

“You even dropped hint in advance to his friends.” Conan pressed on. “To _everyone_. He put another plan in motion yesterday. He didn't make this post to earn 'likes'.” he showed Kagura the blog. “But rather to frame you as the culprit. Kochiyama's comment posed under the handle Tanuki Ponkichi empathizes that 'it is hard to imagine it was a coincidence that you experienced two incidents in half a month'. But if he just wanted to frame you, then he'll leave clues pointing to you.”

“But there won't any.” Takagi confirmed.

“Why?” Conan questioned. “Because leaving evidence would cause the police to arrest Kagura, preventing him from reaching his ultimate goal, right? And you meant to try for that goal last night, didn't you? But it didn't go as planned when Otsubo arrived. His life's purpose was earning 'likes' on interesting posts. He was secretly following you for potential material since you're so unlucky. Otsubo also viewed Tanuki Ponkichi as his rival, because he kept making interesting posts. When that man appeared before him, Otsubo decided to follow Kochiyama instead. He hoped to stumble upon interesting material if he did. But something made Otsubo realize that you were the one who made the bomb threat, so you silenced him. Shocked by the murder, you canceled your plans for last night. Today, you anonymously called the police so you could reach your ultimate goal. You were vague so the police won't arrive immediately. In other words, this was the story you came up with; you planned to act as thought he killed himself out of desperation.”

“But why?” Kagura demanded.

“Probably of Ibe Haruka.” Conan answered.

“She has nothing to do with this.” Kochiyama snapped.

“Based on your reaction, it sounds that he is right.” Haibara voiced.

“Haruka told us,” Conan continued. “The three of you are very close, but there's nothing romantic about your relationship. But perhaps it's different for Kochiyama.”

“You had feelings for Haruka?” Kagura realized.

“While having fun together, Kochiyama secretly desired to make Haruka his own and for you to disappear.” Conan added. “But the police will investigate if he merely murdered you, so he thought to make it look like suicide. Otsubo probably didn't know about the plan, but he wanted to frame you for it, too. He went as far as to kill a person to strengthen your motive for suicide. But everything I said is pure speculation. There's no evidence.”

“If we find poison in the glass Kagura was meant to drink from, the police will begin their investigation into this attempted murder.” Takagi stepped forward.

“The boy's right.” Kochiyama admitted. “Apparently Otsubo saw me; saw a cleaning person making a phone call.”


	81. The Man Crushed by a Dinosaur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“Welcome to the Beika Dinosaur Museum show.” Naito Tatsuki addressed the audience. “Today's performance features two stars from the Cretaceous era: Tyrannosaurs and Triceratops. Enjoy the show, everyone.”

“Here you go.” Shida Nobuhisa held out a palm to reveal a handful of shell fossils. “We give these out to everyone who attends the show. It's only once a day, so enjoy yourselves.”

* * *

“That was intense.” Genta remarked, the group walked out of the theater after the show was over.

“It was very exciting.” Mitsuhiko agreed.

“It was scary, though.” Ayumi added.

“Anyway, those were rather realistic dinosaurs.” Professor Agasa pointed out.

“What was that?” Genta asked when a crash was heard.

“It sounded like something rather large collapsing.” Mitsuhiko noted.

“What should I do?” Katsuragawa Yua muttered, after letting out a scream

“Onee-san, what happened?” Conan hurried to the scene with the Detective Boys in tow.

“The dinosaur fossils inside...” Katsuragawa pointed.

“The dinosaur bones fell apart.” Genta gasped.

“Get the director!” one of the maintenance staff ordered.

“I don't believe it.” Kuchiki Yoshito stammered. “My Brachiosaurus.”

“There is a person.” one of the maintenance staff voiced. “There's someone crushed underneath it.”

“That's the director.” Katsuragawa recognized the ring on the victim's finger.

* * *

“He was crushed by a dinosaur.” Mitsuhiko breathed in disbelief after Shida was sent to hospital. “Detective Takagi, is this an accident?” he asked.

“Actually, we don't know anything yet.” Takagi admitted as the group watched Inspector Megure interrogate the related staff.

* * *

“The dinosaur show was really fun.” Conan spoke, Genta having found the evidence linking Naito the crime. “You were onstage the whole time.”

“Yeah.” Naito replied.

“But you were only seen onstage for a few seconds, right?” Conan pointed out.

“Naito was first seen at the start of the show.” Professor Agasa took over. “What if he had exited the stage immediately afterwards and gone to the director's office?”

“You mean you think I did it?” Naito chuckled. “But I was commenting the whole time.”

“Your headset is wireless.” Professor Agasa stated. “You could've gone to the director's office while speaking.”

“Please, I didn't go to the director's office.” Naito protested.

“Isn't there only one show a day?” Haibara reminded. “There was a lot of confetti. We found one piece in the hallway in front of the director's office. Maybe it fell while getting stuck to you.”

“You returned to the stage shortly afterwards.” Professor Agasa continued. “By briefly showing yourself, you gave the audience the impression that you were onstage the whole time. You disappeared in the smoke and exited the stage once again. This time, you went outside and headed of the rear entrance of Exhibition Hall Two where the fossils were kept. You used the sound effects of the dinosaur show to mask the sound of the falling fossil. After spilling the coating agent on the floor, you returned to the stage and ended the show.”

“You're making it up.” Naito objected.

“There were pieces of fossil near the rear entrance of the exhibition hall.” Professor Agasa stated. “They must have been stuck to the bottom of your shoe when you stepped on them before falling there.”

“You're the one who used my dinosaurs to kill the director?” Kuchiki glared.

“I didn't do it.” Naito insisted. “The fossils collapsed after the show ended.”

“But isn't this your show costume?” Fumio brought out the coat. “There was also a sound system remote in the pocket.” he pulled out the recorder. “You used this to play the sound of it falling after the show ended to make us think the fossil had fallen at that moment.”

“I see.” Inspector Megure nodded. “Call forensics.” he told Takagi. “Have them examine the director's office and the rear entrance of the exhibition hall. Naito, we are going to examine the bottoms of your shoes.”

“It was perfect.” Naito sank to his knees. “Perfect. Why?”

“Because you were acting a little weird.” Conan expressed. “You suddenly defended the clerk and explained Kuchiki's actions. It's because you were eager to frame Kuchiki according to your plan, right? One other thing, there's a stain on your costume's pocket. You kept the coating agent in your pocket. For whatever reason, it leaked. When you helped Ayumi up during the show, you created a stain on her clothes, too.”

“I see.” Naito chuckled. “So that's how it is. Director Shida was going to kill me.” he spat. “Shida and I were actually working together. I used the money I had used to help us acquire this museum. But once he became the director, he said he won't pay me back. On top of that, he tried to run me over.”

“You hurt your right arm, then.” Conan concluded.

“Yeah.” Naito hissed. “So, I killed him before he could kill me. Then, this museum would be mine.”


	82. The Whistling Bookstore 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“I've come from Tamaki Book Cafe to buy books.” Tamaki Yujiro rang the doorbell of the Mizutani household.

“I've been waiting for you.” Mizutani Akiko opened the door. “Please come in.”

* * *

“There are so many books.” Ayumi gushed after they were led into the study.

  
“So, which books would you like to sell?” Yujiro asked.

“All of them, please.” Akiko requested.

“Very well.” Yujiro pulled on his gloves to appraise the books. “Let me take a look. Even the cheapest are worth 5000 yen.” he reported. “The expensive ones are worth over 20000 yen.”

“No way.” Akiko gasped. “They're that valuable?”

“They're rare books.” Yujiro explained. “They're worth at least that much.”

“Valuable books that aren't very common because they're old and unusual or limited editions.” Conan piped in.

“Indeed.” Yujiro confirmed. “For example, only 500 copies of this book were published in 1920. There are currently many copies on the market, but this one is in good condition.”

“I don't care what they are.” Akiko insisted. “Will you buy all of them?”

“Excuse me, but are these books yours?” Yujiro questioned.

“No, they belong to my husband.” Akiko blinked.

“Does your husband know you're selling them?” Yujiro inquired.

“Seems you don't have his permission.” Haibara spotted Akiko's look.

“It's fine.” Akiko insisted. “He's in hospital. They're just taking up space. Are you saying you won't buy them?” she pressed.

“Personally, I'd very much like to purchase them.” Yujiro answered. “But please get your husband's permission to sell them.”

“What happened?” Mitsuhiko turned, hearing Ayumi's scream when she dropped a book the Detective Boys were putting back.

“There was a little bug in the book.” Ayumi replied.

“That's a silverfish.” Yujiro explained.

“Silverfish, written using characters for 'paper' and 'fish',” Fumio went into lecture mode. “They're bugs that like to eat the glue in the binding of books. These guys are relatively easy to deal with. Silverfish dislike the smell of herbs, especially lavender.” he added, Yujiro setting to work by dropping several drops of lavender essence he brought with him onto a pink piece of scrap paper Ayumi gave me.

“Simply place a lavender-scented piece of paper on the bookshelf, and the silverfish will go away.” Yujiro walked over the shelf and put the scented paper on the books.

* * *

The next day...

“Dad, someone named Mizutani is calling for you.” Yoshikawa Michiko informed Yujiro who was working in the backroom, restoring the books he bought the previous day.

“It's me.” Yujiro took the call. “Really?” he frowned. “No, nonsense. I understand. I'll head there immediately. The rare books were stolen.” he informed the visiting Detective Boys. “And it seems she believes I stole them.”

* * *

“Hand over the books you stole.” Akiko demanded.

“Calm down.” Yujiro soothed. “Start by telling me what happened when the books were stolen.”

“I went out for lunch with a friend today.” Akiko related. “We finished eating around 1pm. I came home immediately and discovered the window was broken and the books were missing.”

“You called the police, right?” Conan asked.

“Yes,” Akiko nodded. “The police said it must've been a professional based on how the window was broken.”

“I was at the store all day today.” Yujiro voiced. “I couldn't have stolen from you.”

* * *

Later that night...

“Did something happen?” Mitsuhiko turned to the gathered crowd in the Steam Train Park.

“Is it a case?” Genta piped in, entering the crime scene.

“Yujiro-oji-san.” Ayumi blinked.

“Yujiro, are you hurt?” Conan spotted the blood splatter in the book cafe owner's apron.

“This isn't my blood.” Yujiro assured.

“Then...” Conan turned to see Sawada Ryosuke lying on the ground, face-down.

“He's a suspect in this case.” Inspector Megure supplied.

“I called the police.” Akiko stepped forward.

“She discovered the body.” Takagi informed.

“I clearly saw him standing over the body.” Akiko insisted.

“Inspector Megure, we've identified the man.” Chiba reported. “The victim is Sawada Ryosuke, thirty-five years old. He lives nearby is unemployed. The cause of death is a cerebral contusion caused by a blow to the head. The weapon is almost certainly this bloody rock found at he crime scene.”

“Were there fingerprints on the weapon?” Inspector Megure looked at the bagged rock.

“None, but we found traces of hand cream on the weapon.” Chiba added.

“Come to think of it, I heard those who work with books frequently apply hand cream to prevent chapped hands.” Takagi pointed out.

“Do you have some with you right now?” Inspector Megure asked. “Do you mind if we examine this?” he looked at the tube of cream Yujiro handed over.

“Go ahead.” Yujiro replied.

“Chiba, take this to forensics.” Inspector Megure handed the tube over. “Now then,” he turned to Yujiro. “Could you explain what happened?”

“I received a phone call from him.” Yujiro started. “He asked me to come to the park at around 7 pm. When I arrived, he was on the ground. I ran to him, but he was already...”

“And your clothes got bloody then?” Inspector Megure asked.

“Yes.” Yujiro nodded.

“But why did the victim call you” Inspector Megure questioned.

“He didn't tell me.” Yujiro answered. “But I think it had something to do with those books.”

* * *

“Officer, those are them.” Yujiro led the police into the cafe and showed them the bag the books were in.

“There are about ten books inside.” Takagi inspected the bag.

“This evening, he brought them to be appraised.” Yujiro explained.

“Come to think of it,” Takagi recalled. “I think there was a picture of these books on the victim's phone. This is it.” he pulled out the relevant photo.

“He showed it to me when he came to my store.” Yujiro supplied. “The first time he came in, he only showed me the photo. I told him I couldn't appraise them without seeing them in person.”

“By the way, how much are these books worth?” Inspector Megure asked.

“2500000 all together.” Yujiro answered.

“That's the paper I gave you.” Ayumi noticed the pink paper float down when Inspector Megure flipped open a book.

“Ayumi gave him that notepaper at Mizutani's house to combat silverfish.” Conan stepped in.

“I noticed the same thing and suspected he was the thief.” Yujiro admitted.

“Thief?” Inspector Megure echoed.

“This afternoon, some rare books were stolen from Mizutani's house.” Conan explained.

“Is it true?” Inspector Megure turned to Akiko who nodded. “So, the victim stole the books from Mizutani's house and came here to sell them.”

“That's why I attempted to call the police.” Yujiro interjected. “But he rushed out of the store. Later, he called me to tell me to come to the park.”

“What's this?” Genta spotted a button on the floor as Conan was inspecting Sawada's phone he had borrowed from Takagi. “A button?”

“Wait.” Chiba stopped the boy. “There were signs the victim were involved in a struggle. One of his buttons was missing. This must be it.” he picked up the torn off button.

“Tamaki, how do you explain this?” Inspector Megure questioned.

“We got into a bit of a tussle when I tried to call the police.” Yujiro admitted. “It's possible it came off then.”

“Hello?” just then, Chiba's phone rang and he took the call. “Yes. Understood. It was a match to the hand cream on the weapon.” he informed.

“You fought with the victim and your hand cream matched the cream found on the weapon.” Inspector Megure took over. “Given all the circumstantial evidence, Tamaki Yujiro, could you come down to the station with us?”

“There must be some mistake.” Mitsuhiko insisted.

“I left the water boiling.” Michiko realized she had left the kettle on.

“Looks like you've figured it out.” Fumio recognized Conan's grin when he saw Akiko's misted spectacle lens after she headed over to the counter to turn off the gas.

“Wait one moment,” using his voice-changing bow tie, Conan took on Professor Agasa's voice. “Yujiro isn't the culprit. Hand cream is oil-based; it repels water. If he held the weapon with a hand coated in cream and bludgeoned the victim, the section the cream stuck to will repel water. No blood will be on it.”

“But forensics reported that there was cream found on the bloody section.” Chiba pointed out.

“What if the cream was applied _after_ the victim was struck?” Fumio suggested.

“But why?” Takagi was confused.

“So the real culprit could frame Yujiro.” Professor Agasa answered. “And the real culprit is the other person involved in the book theft. Take another look at the picture on the victim's phone. See the dark spot on the photo? But there is no stain on the book. In other words, the stain was caused by a scratch or stain on the lens. However, I didn't find a scratch on the victim's phone lens. In other words, a different camera was used to take the photo.”

“I saw a photo with a similar dark spot in Mizutani's house.” Conan piped in.

“Then, the person who took this photo...” Takagi realized.

“Mizutani, could we take a look at your phone?” Inspector Megure requested.

“There's a scratch on the lens.” Takagi peered closer and spotted the scratch on the camera lens.

“This proves Mizutani sent the photo of the rare books to the victim and instructed him to steal them.” Professor Agasa continued.

“It's true.” Akiko confessed. “I had him steal them. You were right about the book theft. But the murder is different. Or do you have evidence proving I killed him?”

“Your glasses.” Professor Agasa cut in. “When you turned off the stove, the steam from the kettle hit your face. Only one of your lends fogged up. Hand creams are sometimes used to prevent fogging. When you applied the same hand cream as Yujiro's to the weapon in order to frame him, perhaps you accidentally got some of the cream on one of your glasses lenses.”

“You're wrong.” Akiko protested.

“If you applied the cream after striking him, some blood would be mixed in with the cream.” Professor Agasa continued. If you carefully examine Mizutani's glasses, I'm sure you'll find traces of the victim's blood.”

“I did it.” Akiko confessed. “I planned to have Sawada sell the books and give him a bit of the money. But when he learned the true value of the books, he realized I was trying to cheat him. He threatened to tell my husband everything if I didn't give him more.”

“So you killed him to keep him quiet?” Inspector Megure pressed.

“Yes.” Akiko replied. “Even if I paid him a fair share, he might continue to blackmail me. Besides, if I paid him that much, that would leave less for me.”

“But why frame Tamaki?” Inspector Megure was confused.

“If he'd just bought the books, I wouldn't have needed him to steal them.” Akiko retorted. “So I deliberately hid that paper in the books I had Sawada take them to be appraised. I did it so he'd immediately realize he was the thief. I calculated that they would get into a fight. Then I bought Sawada to the park and had him make the call. I killed Sawada before Tamaki arrived and called the police when he found the body.”


	83. The Secret of the Insect Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

  
Time passes...

The Detective Boys, minus Haibara, were traveling to Kuronosu.

“Excuse me, Genta.” Mitsuhiko deathpanned. “I've been wondering...”

“That outfit does appear to be traditional insect hunting outfit, but what exactly are you trying to catch with that giant net?” Fumio asked.

“You guys wanna know?” Genta grinned. “Well.. tada!” he showed the group the welcome signboard.

“Insect Man Ranch?” Mitsuhiko echoed.

_Seriously....?_ both Conan and Fumio twitched.

“So, you're trying to catch...” Mitsuhiko trailed.

“I'm going insect man hunting.” Genta bragged. “It's every man's dream.”

“What was that?” Ayumi wondered, hearing a low drone in the distance.

“That's the cry of an insect man.” Genta declared and ran off.

* * *

“This way!” Genta led the group past the Kuronosu office building and past the Kabutoya Restaurant.

“Over there!” Ayumi took the lead and led the group around the corner at the post office.

“Past this gate...” Mitsuhiko started, the group stopping in front of the Gaga Shrine.

“Is the Insect Man Ranch?” Genta gulped.

“This sound...” Mitsuhiko peered closer at the excavation workers who were excavating the nearby forest.

“We're sorry!” Genta, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi wailed, fleeing when they saw the adults' glares turn to them.

* * *

“An insect man?” the group skidded to a stop when they saw a kid in costume opening up the Kabutoya Restaurant.

“Welcome.” Kabuto Koichi greeted the newcomers who had entered the restaurant. “I'm Kabuto Koichi, 13 years old. This is my brother, Kabuto Koji. He's seven.”

“So...” Fumio blinked.

“I know.” Koichi sighed. “You're wondering why we're dressed like this. And why the adults in the village are doing construction work at the village shrine. It's too much trouble to explain it all.” he added, seeing the Detective Boys' unions nods. “So let me perform it for you in a picture-story show. An accurate history of the village operated Insect Man Ranch.” having sat the group down, Koichi began his narration. “Once upon a time, about a year ago, an important Japanese government official came to this village. He said, 'I shall build a casino and public bath in the forest surrounding this village.' The adults in this village were overjoyed. But the village mayor was strongly opposed. He opposed the idea because in the forest was the grave of Princess Gaga, who loved all the insects in the world. However, the important Japanese government official ignored the village mayor's protests and went to inspect the forest. And then, he fell victim to Princess Gaga's curse and was attacked by a giant moth. The frightened official fled and the plans to construct the casino and public bath were put on hold. The village mayor decided to build an insect man ranch instead the insect man ranch is an amusement park where children dress in insect costumes. The village mayor paid for these costumes out of his own pocket.” he explained. “When the children heard the news, they were overjoyed.” he continued his narration. “But the adults in the village were strongly opposed. The village mayor decided to give up on his plan. But later, after retiring from being the village mayor, he bought up the forest with his retirement pay, put up 'Do Not Enter' signs and began construction with bulldozers. That's when the former mayor came to this restaurant. The moment he ordered our famous katsu bowl, the former mayor suddenly died. But then, unbelievably, a map showing the location of Princess Gaga's treasure was found in the former mayor's pocket. The truth was, the former mayor was excavating the forest so he could keep Princess Gaga's treasure all for himself. When the adults in the village heard this, they became obsessed with Princess Gaga's treasure and they began excavating the forest. Meanwhile, the children who the former mayor betrayed were unable to give up their dream of an Insect Man Ranch, so they wear insect costumes and while the adults remain obsessed with Princess Gaga's treasure, do an admirable job looking after things in their absence. And they lived happily ever after.”

“Is that picture-story actually true?” Conan asked.

“Of course.” Koichi assured. “After all,” he pointed to the 'Accurate History' mark on the opening page. “It's an accurate history.”

* * *

“Welcome.” Seta Mitsuo greeted Conan and Fumio when the two boys entered the post office.

“We'd like to see a record of deliveries made to the late former mayor.” Fumio requested.

“That should be in those records over there.” Mitsuo turned to the left.

“Found it.” Fumio turned to the correct page in the records.

_I knew it._ Conan mused. _In other words, the late former mayor wore this moth costume and waited for the officials to come inspect the forest. So the mayor was behind the Princess Gaga curse. Was it really to keep her treasure for himself?_ He wondered as the two boys exited the post office.

* * *

“Nee-san.” Fumio, with Conan in tow, ran up to Chono Masako who was sweeping the front door of her family clinic. “Do you work in this clinic.

“Yes.” Masako turned to the two young boys. “I'm the only daughter of this clinic's owners; Chono Masako 11 years old, Capricorn, blood type AB.”

“We'd like to ask you about the late former mayor.” Conan requested.

“Patient information is confidential.” Masako tsked. “I can't discuss it with you. But I might accidentally mention something while examining you.”

“Cancer?” Fumio echoed when Masako revealed that the former mayor had contacted cancer while she was examining his eyes. “The former mayor died of cancer?”

“That's right.” Masako replied. “It was pretty advanced, too. I heard from Daddy that he had only one year left by the time he retired. Of course, the mayor knew.”

* * *

“Wait, does Princess Gaga's treasure even _exist_ in the first place?” Fumio inquired, as the two walked past the village office. “Excuse us.” he pushed the office's doors open when the two boys heard a yell in the back room. “Give us a minute.” he sweatdropped, seeing Kusuda Morio dangled from the ceiling with spider webbing.

“Do you know if there's a book here on the village's history?” Conan asked after the freed Kusuda introduced himself.

“That bookshelf over there contains the grade school teacher's research on the village's history.” Kusuda pointed.

“According to legend, the grave of the noble Princess Gaga once existed in the forest surrounding the village. It was a large keyhole-shaped tomb.” Fumio read the book.. “It isn't here. There's no one mention of Princess Gaga's treasure anywhere.”

“Help, Conan, Fumio!” Ayumi wailed from afar.

* * *

“Looks like we're too late.” Fumio noted, the two boys stopped on the cliff overlooking the construction site.” But why are they in costumes?”

* * *

“This way!” having distracted the adults, Conan and Fumio led Genta, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi into the forest.

“Guys, calm down and listen to me.” Conan shouted to the adults who had cornered them on a tree. “Princess Gaga's treasure doesn't exist.”

“And to prove that, there's no mention of the treasure in the village's historical records.” Fumio added.

“Then, why did the mayor buy up the forest?” one of the adults asked.

“To make an Insect Man Ranch.” Conan answered. “The mayor tried to build the Insect Man Ranch which you all opposed by himself. But then he learnt he wouldn't live to see its completion because he had cancer. So the mayor came up with a plan. He spread the rumor that he was trying to keep Princess Gaga's nonexistent treasure to himself and make sure the fake treasure map would be found after his death. Were there detailed excavation instructions written on the map?”

“Almost obnoxiously detailed.” the adult admitted.

“And that's the result of following those obnoxiously detailed excavation instructions.” Conan pointed to the revealed grave. “The mayor didn't just leave behind the treasure map and excavation instructions. That's the tomb of Princess Gaga, who loved all insects. They were plans to build a keyhole-shaped tomb. He probably left it up to you to fulfill his dream of building an Insect Man Ranch.”


	84. Miss Lonely and the Detective Boys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“Hey, coming your way, Haibara!” Genta shouted a warning to the yawning Haibara. “What are you doing?” he chided when the soccer ball flew over Haibara's head.

“It's your fault for kicking it someplace weird.” Mitsuhiko scolded.

“I'll go get it.” Ayumi volunteered.

“What's the matter?” Mitsuhiko asked, the rest of the Detective Boys running over when Ayumi paused to look at Komori Tomoko who was sitting under a shaded pavilion, drinking wine.

“That woman...” Ayumi trailed.

“She seems kind of sad.” Mitsuhiko agreed as Komori poured herself another glass of wine. “I see.” he noted, seeing a man walk up to Komori. “She's been waiting for him.”

“Doesn't look that way.” Haibara corrected when the rejected man walked off.

“Hey,” leading Mitsuhiko and Ayumi towards the lady, Genta spoke. “What are you doing?”

“Why are you drinking alone in the park?” Ayumi inquired.

“Why do you have two glasses when you're alone in...” Mitsuhiko focused on the second untouched glass on the wooden table. He stopped himself when he saw Komori started sobbing.

“I'm sorry.” Komori wept. “The tears came when I remembered. My beloved...” she turned a wry smile at the children. “He died...”

* * *

Later in the Sasagokita Botanical Park...

“I think this is the lost girl from the announcement just now.” Kajiki Kohei brought Ayumi to the information booth.

“Excuse me,” Komori voiced, the children were reunited. “Thank you very much.”

“It's fine.” Kajiki assured. “I'm just glad your daughter is all right.”

“She's not mine.” Komori corrected. “They're friends. I don't have any children.”

“You must like kids.” Kajiki noted.

* * *

“Kajiki Kohei,” Komori read the name card Kajiki presented to her during lunch. “You're a company president?”

“I manufacture and sell men's cosmetics.” Kajiki explained.

“What are mech prosthetics?” Genta wondered.

“Men's cosmetics, Genta.” Fumio sighed. “It's makeup for men.”

* * *

Several days later...

“This place is huge.” Professor Agasa gawked at the large mansion that was Komori's house. “Does she live here alone?”

“Before her husband passed away, it was probably the two of them.” Conan noted.

“Who is it?” Komori answered the door.

“It's Professor Agasa.” Ayumi chimed.

“I'm something like a guardian to these kids.” Professor Agasa admitted.

“Please come in.” Komori stepped aside.

“Kajiki is here, too.” Conan noticed Kajiki's shoes at the entrance.

“Kohei is waiting inside for all of you.” Komori informed. “I invited you here today because I have something to tell you.” she told the group, after leading them to the terrace on the third floor where Kajiki was asleep on the chair he was sitting on.

Just then, Kajiki awoke to the sound of his phone ringing. When he reached over the railing to retrieve his phone, he fell off the terrace when the rotted railing broke under his weight.

* * *

“The deceased is Kajiki Kohei, forty-five years old.” Takagi rattled out the information after Inspector Megure's unit was called in. “He was the president of a men's cosmetics company.”

“What's the cause of death?” Inspector Megure asked.

“A cerebral contusion resulting from a fall.” Takagi replied. “He seems to have fallen from there.” he looked up at the gaping hole in the railing.

“Are you the owner of this house?” Inspector Megure turned to the weeping Komori.

“Yes.” Komori nodded.

“Excuse me, but what was your relationship with Kajiki?” Inspector Megure inquired.

“He and I were in a romantic relationship.” Komori answered. “We met and began dating quite recently. Hr proposed to me today. He'd asked me before, but I just lost my husband.”

“Judging by the situation, foul play seems unlikely.” Takagi concluded.

“We can't be sure yet.” Inspector Megure reminded.

“This is an accident.” Mitsuhiko interjected. “We saw it happen.”

“When we came to the terrace, Kajiki tripped and fell.” Ayumi insisted.

* * *

“He fell from here?” Inspector Megure looked at the broken off railing when he and Takagi went up to inspect the incident site. “You and Kajiki were drinking here?” he turned to Komori.

“Yes.” Komori nodded.

“How much did you drink?” Inspector Megure asked.

“I didn't have that much.” Komori admitted. “But he had enough to get drunk and fall asleep.”

“Look at this.” Conan pointed to Kajiki's phone that was sitting on the bottom rail.

“That must be Kohei's.” Komori supplied.

“What's the victim's phone doing here?” Inspector Megure wondered.

“I figured it out.” Mitsuhiko cut in. “Why Kohei fell. He received a call after getting drunk and falling asleep. Woken by his ringtone, he hurriedly tried to answer his phone. However, his hand slipped and he dropped his phone. He got up to collect his phone from around the edge, but because he was drunk, he tripped. Because the railing he grabbed onto was rotten, he unfortunately fell from the terrace.”

“Based on the victim's blood alcohol concentration, we know he was drunk.” Takagi confirmed.

“It's my fault for leaving him alone.” Komori muttered.

“What's this?” Genta then spotted a fallen contact lens on the floor.

“It must be the victim's.” Takagi noted, Fumio pulling out a piece of tissue paper and handed the lens to the detective. “The body had only a contact in one eye.”

“Professor,” Conan tugged Professor Agasa's pants, his mind making the connections when he witnessed the mineral water dripping from the table after Genta knocked over the water bottle.

“We'll be leaving now.” Inspector Megure informed.

“Wait a minute.” Professor Agasa voiced. “This wasn't an accident. Kajiki didn't fall by accident. He was made to do so. Look closely at his phone. There isn't a scratch on it, even though it was dropped on the ground. Isn't it possible that Kajiki's phone was on the ground near the railing not because he dropped it, but because someone put it there? There's only one person who had full access to this house.”

“Even if she left his phone by the railing, surely, that wasn't enough to make him fall.” Takagi argued.

“That's not the only thing she did.” Professor Agasa continued. “She used an illusion to make Kajiki trip and fall. She made his phone appear as if it was floating in front of the step.”

“Allow me to recreate it using this sprat bottle in the hallway.” Fumio stepped up. “First, we place the phone on the step near the edge.” he demonstrated. “Then, we use this to wet the floor away from the phone.” he sprayed the water on the ground.

“I see.” Inspector Megure noted, seeing the phone's shadow on the wooden floor. “When the drunk victim saw this, even if he thought it seemed strange...”

“He might accept it as the truth without thinking too hard about it.” Takagi added.

“But the key to this illusion isn't that the phone appeared to be floating, but that the phone appeared to be in front of the step.” Professor Agasa continued. “Woken by his phone's ringtone, because of the illusion, Kohei thought he could reach his phone before he hit the step. Believing him to be safe, he went to pick up his phone without much care. But his phone was actually on top of the step. He misjudged the situation and tripped on the step before he could reach his phone and fell from the terrace. Because this illusion vanishes once the ground dries, it also has the benefit of leaving no trace. The railing was probably rotted beforehand and made to break at the slightest touch.”

“Do you have any proof?” Komori questioned.

“Of course.” Professor Agasa answered.” Kajiki used foundation to cover his wrinkles, didn't he? A contact was missing from his body, but there were no signs that he rubbed around his eyes. However, there was something that looked like fingerprints on his upper and lower eyelids.”

“We did find those.” Takagi confirmed.

“No one would open their eyes to remove just one contact.” Professor Agasa reasoned. “It's only natural to assume someone opened them for him and removed one. And when Genta spilled the water earlier, you changed your mind about removing your handkerchief from your pocket; perhaps the foundation you wiped with your fingers is still on that handkerchief.”

“But why would she do that?” Inspector Megure was puzzled.

“Because a large difference in acuity between your two eyes disrupts your depth perception, increasing your risk of falling.” Professor Agasa explained. “When combined with the illusion, it became extremely likely that Kohei would trip over the step. There's most likely foundation on Komori's handkerchief and the phone used to call Kajiki's somewhere in this house.

“Komori, do you have anything to say?” Inspector Megure turned to the woman.

“And could we examine your handkerchief and the inside of your house?” Takagi requested.

“It was going so well, too.” Komori snorted. “You've ruined my masterful performance. I hate little kids like you.” she leveled a glare at the children.

“So you were using the children right from the start.” Professor Agasa declared.

“That's right.” Komori bragged. “He said in a magazine interview that he liked kids. In order to catch a big fish, you need to catch some little ones first.”

“Check this out!” Genta stumbled out from the living hall. “In this room...”

“What is all this?” Takagi was shocked at the four tamaya alters located in a back room of the house.

“Surely not all of them, too?” Mitsuhiko was stunned.

“If that's the case, then we're dealing with a 'Black Widow' serial murderess.” Fumio concluded.

“My plans were all ruined because of you.” Komori sneered.

“Komori Tomoko, you can tell us the rest at the station.” Takagi made the arrest.


	85. Mouri Kogoro's Grand Lecture, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Time passes, in the HISHIDA Hall waiting room ...

“Congratulations!” Genta, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi presented a handmade flower basket to Mouri.

“You kids sure are considerate.” Mouri beamed. “Make sure you study all this great detective's secrets.”

“At least we wish we could,” Ayumi started. “But we actually have to leave before it starts.”

“We already had plans.” Genta explained. “We're going to see a soccer game.”

“But as long as it doesn't run into overtime, we'll be able to return during the panel.” Mitsuhiko added.

“I think I recognize that guy.” Genta noted, seeing Inokoshi Kenichiro speak to Mouri.

“That's actor Inokoshi Kenichiro.” Ayumi realized. “He's famous for playing police officers and detectives.”

“That's right.” Mitsuhiko confirmed. “They call him the 'King of Mystery Shows'.”

“And for some reason, he's always solving mysteries under precipitous circumstances.” Fumio bubbled his orange juice.

“He can hear you.” Conan muttered.

* * *

“Figured this would happen.” Fumio stepped into the waiting after seeing Genta, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi off the elevator and sweatdropped when he saw the drunk Mouri slumped on the table.

“What was that?” Ran gasped, hearing a scream. “Conan.” she blinked when Conan and Fumio ran outside.

“What happened?” Conan asked, the two boys approaching the horrified Furui Kiho outside the door of Inokoshi's waiting room.

“Over there...” Furui pointed to the expanding pool of blood on the floor. “Inokoshi asked me o bring him coffee. I knocked on his door, but he didn't answer.”

“Looks like its stuck on something.” Fumio noted, Conan wrapping a cloth around his hand to open the door to no avail. “And judging by the pool of blood...”

“Definitely.” Conan agreed. “Let's see.” he ran through the back door. “The window to Inokoshi's changing room is...” he stopped underneath Inokoshi's window. Heaving himself up using the window sill, he gaped when he saw a stabbed Inokoshi on a chair that leaned against the door. “I knew it. The body's keeping the door shut instead of the lock. In other words, this is...”

“It's a locked door mystery.” Tsukuba Mei was suddenly beside Conan.

* * *

“Inspector.” Mouri informed Inspector Megure, whose unit was called in. “There may be some clues still.”

“I know.” Inspector Megure concurred. “Takagi, Chiba.”

“Yes sir.” the two younger officers went off.

* * *

“The victim is Inokoshi Kenichiro, forty-eight years old.” Takagi reported. “He was scheduled to appear on the panel after Mouri's lecture, and was waiting alone in this changing room.”

“We're waiting on the autopsy for the cause of death, but it was likely blood loss due to to stabbed in the heart.” Chiba added. “Also, look at this.” he showed Inspector Megure the pocket watch in the evidence bag. “This was in the left breast pocket of the victim's jacket. The blade of the weapon matched the damaged section. It's safe to assume it was damaged when the victim was stabbed in the heart.”

“Which means the time of death was 2.50,” Inspector Megure concluded. “The problem is...”

“This was a locked room.” Takagi agreed. “Under the circumstances, the door only opened about five centimeters, making it impossible for anyone to enter or exit. The window we broke was locked from the inside as well. There were no signs that it has been tempered with.”

“So, how did the culprit leave the room after killed Inokoshi?” Inspector Megure wondered.

“At the very least, one thing is clear, Inspector.” Mouri voiced from outside. Takagi, how's the security here at HISHIDA Hall?”

“We confirmed with the security staff, that aside from the front entrance and reception desk of the hall, all entrances, including emergency exits are locked from the inside.” Takagi reported. “According to the reception desk, around 2.50 when the crime took place, only three children left the building.”

“Children?” Inspector Megure echoed.

“Genta and the others.” Fumio supplied.

“Which means no one else entered or left.” Mouri concluded. “This wasn't the work of an outsider, Inspector.”

“It was enough to leave a mark on the floor, so they must have dragged the chair with the body sitting in it.” Fumio remarked, the two boys jumping over the windowsill and crawled under the table. “The problem is, just how did they go out afterwards. Something is pressed on it.” he spotted a round mark on the back of the chair frame Inokoshi was sitting on.

“So, that's how it is.” Conan realized.

“This is how they created the locked room.” squatted beside the two boys, Tsukuba came to the same conclusion.

“What's that?” Mouri spotted the trio by the chair. “What about the locked room? Inspector, could you gather all the concerned parties?” he requested after the brief discussion of postponing the lecture.

“The locked room didn't use a complicated trick.” Conan explained. “But I still don't know who did it.”

“And I'm worried that no one has seen the owner.” Fumio added.  
  


* * *

“Before I explain my reasoning,” Mouri coughed, addressing the gathered parties. “Chiba, have you checked everyone's alibi?”

“I was able to confirm everyone's alibi at 2.50, with one exception.” Chiba reported. “They were all gathered in the same place, with Reizei, the former manager of HISHIDA Hall, being the only exception; he was resting in his changing room alone. You did it, Reizei. Your motive was your rage you felt towards Inokoshi after he brought you in line like you were on a TV show. And you created this locked room using your cane. I'll now show you.”

Returning to Inokoshi's room, Mouri reenacted the scene. “Takagi, Chiba.” he instructed the two younger officers.

With Chiba playing Inokoshi's role and Takagi taking on Reizei's role, the two acted out Mouri's scenario.

“You alone left the room and removed the cane just before the door closed.” Mouri continued. “I'm sure it'll open more if you pushed harder, but a body is rather heavy. It's enough to create a quick and dirty locked room.

“Excuse me.” Tsukuba piped in. “Earlier, I took Reizei to his changing room. He was exhausted and elderly. Wouldn't be difficult for him to do all that?”

“That's a good point.” Fumio conceded. “Sitting such a large victim in a chair, dragging it across the room, leaning it against the door, and supporting it all with one cane would've been rather difficult.”

“Impressive, Detective.” Reizei praised. “I am astonished. I knew you would spot my cane trick eventually.” he held out his hands to be cuffed. “But I killed someone else.”


	86. Mouri Kogoro's Grand Lecture, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“What's that?” leading Fumio back to the crime scene, Conan focused on the windowsill beneath the broken window. “This wasn't here before, right?” he spotted a stack of magazine cuttings that were held down by a rock.

“Aren't those pages from a magazine?” Fumio frowned, the two children sat on the windowsill. “It looks like they were torn out.”

“Judging from the quality of the paper and print, they're probably from the same magazine.” Conan concluded, snapping pictures with his camera phone. “There's been a guard in front of this changing room since after the scene was examined.”

“In other words, they reached in through a window so they wouldn't be spotted.” Fumio came to the same conclusion.

“The question is, who left it here and for what purpose.” Conan mused. “Not only that, but now, after the murder. Could it be?” his mind started connecting.

* * *

“Found it.” Fumio called out, the pair having returned to the staircase where Hishida Junko was murdered, the blond boy having found a rock securing a stack of magazine clippings.

“I knew it.” Conan referred back to the pictures he had taken earlier. “Are they different pages from the same magazine? And the one underneath is... is it from a gravure article?”

“It's probably the first page after the cover.” Fumio suggested.

“I feel like there's some meaning behind the way they overlapped.” Conan noted.

“Either way, it could be some kind of message.” Fumio pointed out.

“If you found something, should you let Mouri know?” Tsukuba suddenly popped up in front of the two boys.

* * *

“What about this?' Mouri wondered, Conan entering the meeting room and showing the gathered detectives the photos he had taken.

“I thought it might be some kind of message.” Conan explained.

“I'm sure it's just a prank.” Mouri scoffed. “Stop bothering me.” he waved the boy off. “They must've used something in place of a cane.” he peered closely at the sketches laid out on the whiteboard.

“Hey, oji-san.” Conan voiced.

“Maybe it was wrong to assume it was a long object like a cane.” Tsukuba cut in. “But recently, they sell telescoping canes, too.”

* * *

“Tsukinogi Hideki,” Mouri voiced, addressing the security company president. “You've retired from bodyguarding, but you still carry your gear with you. I'm talking about your telescoping nightstick.” he clarified. “Don't play dumb; you extended your nightstick, pressed it against the back of the chair supporting Inokoshi's body tilted it, and withdrew it while gradually closing the door, creating the locked room.”

“Actually, this was stolen from me.” Tsukinogi stated, pulling out the extendable stick. “I want to the bathroom immediately after arriving, and it went missing after I took it off and left it in this changing room. But when I just checked, it had been returned. Besides, don't I have an alibi?”

“About the time of the crime...” Conan piped in.

“Wasn't that the time shown on on the victim's pocket watch that was broken by the weapon?” Tsukuba posted a question.

“That's it.” Mouri exclaimed. “They broke it beforehand and set the hands pointing at 2.50. Then, they put it in the breast pocket of the victim after they killed him. The murder actually took place earlier than that.”

“Takagi, Chiba, reaffirm their alibis immediately.” Inspector Megure instructed.

“I simply didn't encounter anyone else.” Tsukinogi shrugged, after Takagi and Chiba reconfirmed the staff's alibis and leaving the aged man a ten-minute blank window. “That doesn't mean I did it.”

“Then, what's that shining on your lapel?” Tsukuba pointed. “Maybe it is a piece of glass from the pocket watch broken by the weapon? If it's a match, there's no way a piece of glass could've gotten on you if the pocket watch was inside the victim's pocket was broken, so it must be broke beforehand. And the pieces could only have gotten on the person who broke it.

“Well, Tsukinogi?” Inspector Megure turned to their suspect.

“I couldn't forgive him.” Tsukinogi confessed.

* * *

On stage after Tsukinogi was taken into custody, Mouri's lecture started.

Outside, Kisaki Eri had also arrived to the hall.


	87. Kogoro Mouri's Grand Lecture, Part Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

“We've been waiting for you, Detective Boys.” Conan greeted the group outside the lecture hall, having summoned Genta, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi via the Detective Boys Badge.

“What's going on?” Mitsuhiko asked. “Is it true that there were two murders here?”

“Just come inside.” Fumio urged.

* * *

“We found three of these in different locations.” Conan showed the group the photos he had taken. “Two were at crime scenes and the other was in Kisaki's changing room.”

“What is this?” Genta wondered.

“Probably some kind of code or message.” Fumio suggested.

“Which mean there must be a code book for deciphering it.” Conan concluded.

“We're looking for the magazine these pages were torn from.” Fumio explained. “It should be some place visible.”

“And if we don't hurry, I have a feeling something terrible will happen.” Conan stated. “So, let's find that magazine first.”

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the panel...

“My friend asked me about a murder that happened at a college about a year ago.” Tsukuba voiced when the microphone was passed to her. “The victim was a professor at the college. The police arrested the professor's assistant, who was also the older brother of my friend. Allegedly, his motive was the professor claimed a paper he had written was plagiarized from his own work, and threatened to ruin his career.”

“Come to think of it, that did happen.” Mouri recalled that case. “The suspect confessed his crime, and he was found guilty in court. I don't think there was any problem with that case.”

“That's a huge problem.” Tsukuba objected.

* * *

“I found it!” Fumio pulled out the magazine from Tsukuba's locker.

“This is definitely it.” Conan confirmed, comparing the pages to the photos he had taken.

“Caseweek, huh?” Fumio read the magazine cover. “This is a famous news magazine from America.”

“But this is in Japanese.” Genta pointed out.

“In other words, this is the Japanese version.” Fumio related. “The American version and the Japanese version..”

“I've cracked the code.” Conan beamed.

“And there's also this.” Fumio flipped open to the two page spread in the magazine that featured the murder of the university professor. And that.” he pointed to the loudspeaker when Mouri's voice echoed through it.

* * *

“The murder of the professor at that college isn't over yet.” Tsukuba insisted. “There's no doubt that Ashida Hiroto, who's currently serving time, was the murderer even by my deduction. But my friend can't believe he would steal another person's paper, much less kill someone over it. But ultimately, he offered no other testimony at his trial and no appeal was made. Why would he do that? I'd like you to determine that, Mouri.”

“I'm not sure you expect me to do.” Mouri admitted.

“Of course.” Tsukuba snorted. “You couldn't possibly know. After all, you are a hack who couldn't even decipher the mystery message left at the crime scene. Why didn't he make an appeal? Because he lost hope; he was betrayed by his irresponsible court-appointed lawyer who quit his case.”

“Could it be?” Mouri turned to Eri.

“Yes, she's talking about me.” Eri admitted. “And you're Mei, the younger sister of Ashida Hiroto, the man currently serving time in prison. In other words, you're not talking about your friend; you're talking about yourself. I believe Tsukuba is your mother's maiden name. And you're studying criminal psychology at an American university. I remember now that I heard you've been studying aboard since two years ago. When did you return?”

“A week ago.” Tsukuba answered.

“Why didn't you contact me?” Eri inquired.

“Because I don't want to hear your excuses.” Tsukuba snapped.

Sneaking in backstage, Conan took aim and fired his tranquilizer dart on Mouri's neck. “I've deciphered the coded message, Mei.” using his voice-changing bow-tie, he played the 'Sleeping Kogoro' role. Don't do anything hasty. I just received word from someone who found the code book. The layered pages torn from the Japanese edition of Caseweek were pages 11 and 9, 19 and 1 and 11 and 9, again. When applied to the alphabet, 11 corresponds to K and 9 corresponds to I, spelling KI. 19 is S, and I is A, spelling SI. Finally, the last code is the same as the first, spelling KI. When read all together, they spell KISAKI.”

“In other words, I was her target.” Eri noted. “But in that case...”

“She could've acted anytime.” Conan agreed. “But she didn't. She deliberately left a message, even had us find the code book, which featured an article on the case. Conan, where did you find the code book?”

“I'm here!” said boy ran onstage. “The Detective Boys will answer that. Fumio.”

“It was in her locker.” stepping on stage and facing the audience, Fumio pointed to Tsukuba.

“Why did she leave it in someplace so obvious?” Mouri asked. “Because she wanted me to reveal her brother's true motives. And perhaps, if possible, stop her from doing what she was about to do.”

“So, you figured out his true motive.” Tsukuba stated.

“Not even I know it.” Mouri asserted. “But I can identify someone who does know. First, as far as I know, she may have been appointed by the court, but Kisaki-sensei would never step down from a case. She was probably dismissed by your brother, because she identified his true motive. In order to plead extenuating circumstances, it would have to be revealed in court. But your brother refused, so he dismissed her. However, even after she was dismissed, rather than moving on, she continued investigating the case. She was probably searching for documents demonstrating extenuating circumstances that didn't touch on his true motive.”

“You're lying!” Tsukuba snapped. “That's just an excuse.” pulling out a flip-switch knife, she dashed to attack Eri.

“Kisaki-sensei, unless you reveal his true motive now, she won't put down the knife.” Mouri advised, the lecture hall was now almost cleared of the audience. “At first, she only joined the staff of my event so she could get close to you. But by chance, two murders occurred. She decided to use them to confront you more effectively. So she tore pages from the magazine featuring an article on her brother's case that she always carried and left a coded message; all so, she could use me to reveal the truth about the case and tell it to the world.”

“But I'm a lawyer.” Eri reminded. “I'd never do anything to harm a client.”

“However, the one truth will be revealed.” Mouri expressed. “Is that not natural as well?”

“Your brother's motive was you, Mei.” Eri relented.


	88. The Target is the Metropolitan Police Traffic Department, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back with Chapter 87 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review?
> 
> Pairings: Established!Furuya Rei (Amuro Tooru)/Mizuno Ami
> 
> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

* * *

Time passes...

In a darkened room, our mystery culprit was working on his laptop, the camera panning in to a photo frame containing a brown-haired woman on the work table. _Aiko..._ the fisherman-hatted man mused. _Damn, it's their fault._ He cursed, flashing back to the last SMS message he received. _Their fault! Their fault!_ He fumed, hammering in three 100 yen coins with a hammer and bending them inwards.

* * *

At the traffic lights...

“Hey, you're the min patrolwoman's henchwoman.” Genta recognized Naeko by the traffic lights.

“It's Naeko-san.” Ayumi supplied.

“You're up early.” Mitsuhiko remarked.

“We're up early because it's our turn to feed the rabbits.” Conan explained.

“Is something happening?” Haibara yawned.

“It's traffic month at the MPD.” Naeko explained. “We're tightening supervision.”

“All right.” Genta looked at the empty street and prepared to cross.

“Don't.” Naeko chided. “The light is still red.”

“But there aren't any cars.” Genta protested. “Doesn't this symbol mean kids can cross?” he pointed to the yellow signboard.

“Genta, that simply warns drivers to be careful because there's a school, kindergarten, or nursery school nearby.” Fumio corrected.

“Most road signs are divided by color and function.” Naeko added. “Yellow ones like this one are warnings. Red means danger or prohibition. Easy-to-read blue signs are for directions. Calming green that are easy on the eyes are used to guide people to emergency exits. Think of it as the same as a traffic light's red, yellow and green.”

“You certainly are a female officer of the traffic department.” Mitsuhiko noted.

“The shapes have meaning, too.” Naeko remarked. “Circles that appear larger than they are for prohibitions or regulations. Triangles and squares with points at the top look unstable and draw your attention, so they're for warnings and regulations. Solid stable-looking squares are for direction and guidance. I'm sure you'll learn that at school soon. Make sure you follow traffic rules.”

“Sure!” the group of first-graders chorused in unison and Ayumi let Naeko guide her over the pedestrian crossing.

* * *

In the Metr opolitan Police Department...

“Feel like singing, Miike?” Yagi Shiori placed a hand on the despondent Naeko's shoulder. “At karaoke, after work.”

“I'll sing.” Naeko declared. “Let me sing with you.”

“All right, Tōko, will you come with us?” Yagi turned to Momosaki Tōko.

“You bet I will.” said Division Sergeant winked.

“Yumi, how about you?” Yagi asked.

“I'll pass.” Yumi replied. “I've got stuff to do tonight.”

“Is it your Shōgi master boyfriend again?” Yagi teased.

“Yeah, something like that.” Yumi laughed nervously and backed off.

* * *

At the karaoke bar later that evening...

“Hey, Shiori.” Momosaki turned to her superior. As the pair watched Naeko sing her heart's out “Anything strange happen to you lately?”

“Anything strange?” Yagi asked.

“Like being followed by someone.” Momosaki clarified.

“Come to think of it, since about a week ago.” Yagi admitted.

“Seriously?” Momosaki echoed. “You too?”

“But, we'll be fine.” Yagi assured. “We're strong. Besides, you're a third dan judoka.”

* * *

Later that night...

“Are you okay?” Momosaki inquired, Yagi was about to take a drunk Naeko home. “Can you handle her?”

“I'll be fine.” Yagi chuckled.

“Excuse me,” a masked man voiced as Momosaki was waiting by the traffic lights. “I've been hearing the sound of a small girl crying in the park bathroom for a while. Could you go check it out? I wanted to ask the police, but there isn't a police box in the neighborhood.”

“Got it.” Momosaki nodded. “Could you take me to that park?”

* * *

By the toilets in the Beika Higashi Park...

“I don't hear anything.” Momosaki noted.

“It was coming from the women's bathroom in the back.” the masked man pointed.

“Hello?” Momosaki walked towards the female side of the toilets. “Is someone there?”

With Momosaki distracted, the masked man grabbed her from behind, pressing a chloroform cloth against her mouth.

Her martial arts kicking in, Momosaki flipped her attacker over her shoulder. “I knew it.” she approached her fallen attacker. “I'd sensed an odd presence recently. I'm a cop.” she flashed her identity badge. “Looks like you chose the wrong target for your trap.”

The masked man turned and took out Momosaki with a taser to her ankle, paralyzing her. Running to the back of the toilet where he hid a baseball bat, he took the weapon and bludgeoned the defenseless officer to death.

* * *

The next day...

“Hey kids.” Yumi pressed her car horn, alerting the Detective Boys to their presence. “You're such good kids to raise your hands while you walk on the crosswalk.”

“Naeko-san told us about traffic rules yesterday.” Mitsuhiko supplied.

“So we did a bunch of research.” Ayumi added.

“Kids are hard to see because they're small, so they raise their hands, right?” Genta declared.

“Japanese signs are based off of English ones, right?” Mitsuhiko pressed.

“Anyway, you guys are working early.” Genta noted.

“We should get going.” Conan reminded.

“MPD to all stations.” the police intercom came on. “The body of a woman bludgeoned to death was discovered at Beika Higashi Park. All patrols in the neighborhood, please head to the location.”

“Let's head there to preserve the crime scene.” Yumi told Naeko and the two policewomen drove off.

* * *

Outside the crime scene...

“Sato-san!” Takagi hurried over. “It's no use. We didn't find anything in the area that would help us identify the victim.”

“Maybe the suspect took it.” Sato reasoned.

“Does that mean this was robbery?” Takagi wondered.

“No!” Naeko gasped in horror. “Momosaki!”

“You knew her?” Sato turned to Yumi.

“She's a colleague.” Yumi answered.

“I thought I recognized her.” Sato noted. “So, she was a cop.”

“Momosaki Tōko,” Yumi supplied. “Like us, she worked for the MPD Transportation Department as a sergeant. But she was a third dan judoka. How could this happen? Come to think of it,” she turned to the weeping Naeko. “Weren't you going to karaoke with Momosaki and Yagi last night?”

“Yes, but I got drunk.” Naeko wiped away her tears. “I only remember Yagi, who went with us, walking me home.”

“Where was the karaoke box?” Sato asked.

“Karaoke Beika, on fourth street.” Naeko sniffled. “Across the planetarium that was being remodeled.”

“That's right over there.” Takagi gaped.

“Then, maybe she was attacked while trying to use the park bathroom.” Sato surmised.

“But if the suspect bludgeoned a third dan judoka to death, it's possible they're quite strong as well.” Takagi reasoned.

“Or they knew she was a cop and planned a countermeasure.” Sato added. “This bent 100 yen coin next to the body; what if it wasn't a coincidence and the suspect left it here deliberately?”

“So, it was a premeditated crime.” Takagi peered closer. “Maybe it was the work of someone who bore some financial resentment.”

“We'll have to canvas the area to gather information.” Sato instructed. “But for now, our only clue is this 100 yen coin.”

“No.” Conan cut in. “There are other clues, too. Look at her left hand. There's nothing on her pointer finger, but there's a scrape along the first joint of her middle, ring and pinkie fingers. And if you flip it over, there's a scrape along the bottom of her palm, too.” he turned over Momosaki's hand. “But there aren't any signs that her body was dragged. Which means, her left-hand was already shaped like this and placed against the ground like this. She probably got those scrapes who someone kicked it towards her feet.”

“So, she was trying to tell us something by pointing somewhere?” Sato wondered. “At what, though?”

“Look at the tip of her pointer finger.” Conan turned Sato's attention to Momosaki's index finger. “See the little bit of blood on it? Maybe that means she knew the culprit will move her hand. No matter where she pointed at, so she used her own blood to leave a fingerprint. Look.” he spotted the black spot a little distance away from the body. “There's a stain from where her bloody fingers scraped against it. In other words, she was actually pointing in that direction.”

“A swing set?” Sato frowned, her eyes trained on the swings. “Yumi, who else was with the victim at the karaoke box last night?”

“Lieutenant Yagi Shiori also of the Transportation Department was with them.” Yumi answered.

“Where is she now?” Sato pressed.

“Yagi's got the day off.” Yumi replied. “Since it's still early, she's probably at home.”

“I see.” Sato nodded.” Got it. Someone go to Lieutenant Yagi's place immediately.”

“That's right.” Yagi confirmed, after she was brought to the crime scene. “Last night, Tōko, Miike and I went to karaoke. I said I'll walk Miike home since she was drunk and parted ways with Tōko in front of the store. I had no idea this would happen afterwards.”

“It looked like she was trying to stop by the park bathroom.” Sato remarked.

“That's odd.” Yagi related. “Tōko used the bathroom just before we left the karaoke box.”

“Then, what was she doing in a park?” Takagi wondered.

“Was there anyone who resented her?” Sato inquired.

“Last night, she said she felt like she was being followed starting a week ago.” Yagi admitted. But that was the only time we discussed it.”

“Do you know anything about a swing set?” Sato pressed. “She pointed to that swing set just before she died. What?” she spotted Yagi's shocked expression. “Did you remember something?”

“I don't know.” Yagi changed her tune. “I could be wrong, so I'll call you once I'm sure.”


	89. The Target is the Metropolitan Police Traffic Department, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So with Chapter 87 uploaded, this is Chapter 88 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review?
> 
> Pairings: Established!Furuya Rei (Amuro Tooru)/Mizuno Ami
> 
> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

* * *

“Were the victim Sergeant Momosaki and Lieutenant Yagi close?” Sato asked.

“Yeah, apparently they were high school classmates.” Yumi replied.

“Weren't you too, Yumi-san?” Naeko reminded. “You called them a bunch of times while we were at the karaoke box.”

“Oh that.” Yumi chuckled. “That's someone different. That was their classmate, Yumiko. I think she works as a hostess in Ginza these days. I told them to call her something else since it's confusing.”

“So, you really have no idea if anyone resented Sergeant Momosaki?” Sato inquired.

“I can think of way too many people who might have resented her, justified or not.” Yumi was in deep thought. “But three of the traffic violators made a bunch of complaints.”

“When was that?” Sato asked. “Where did the incidents occur?”

“It was a week ago.” Yumi recalled. “I think all three were at an intersection on Fifth Street in Beika City.”

“Do you remember those three?” Sato pressed.

“Yeah.” Yumi nodded. “Miike and I helped question them.”

“I wrote their names down.” Naeko referred to her notebook. “The first was Aono Kengo, who was not only using his phone while driving, but didn't have a driver's license. The second, who was driving a motorcycle against traffic rules without a helmet on, was Akamine Manji. The third was Shiroyama Yuzo, who was driving a vehicle with an expired inspection without a seat belt on. All three seemed to be in a big hurry.”

“Since they tried to flee before they were issued tickets, they were forced to arrest them for interference of public duties.” Yumi explained.

“Those three sound suspicious.” Sato agreed. “According to what we heard earlier, Sergeant Momosaki felt someone had been following her about a week ago, too.”

_ Damn. _ Conan cursed.  _ I thought ot-chan might have seen something but a week ago he was off on a trip with the neighborhood association. But wait, maybe Poirot's Amuro saw something. _

“Hey, Conan!” Genta yelled from behind the police tape.

“We're going to school.” Ayumi reminded.

“Sound like we'll have to share what we have on those three traffic violators.” Sato noted, after the group of first-graders left for school.

“I'll pass the word on.” Yumi assured. “I'll also see if I can find anything else.”

* * *

Later that evening...

“MPD to all stations.” the police intercom came on. “A woman bleeding from the head has been discovered in an alleyway off Third Street in Haido City. All officers and patrols in the neighborhood, please head to the location.”

“That's nearby, Chiba.” Shiratori informed his subordinate.

“Let's check it out.” Chiba accelerated.

“Commissioner Kuroda...” Shiratori gaped, he and Chiba arriving on the scene to see Kuroda Hyoue was already at the crime scene. “What are you doing here?”

“I happened to be in the area, so I came to the scene.” Kuroda answered. “But now, it's clear. One of the officers who arrived knew her. The victim is Lieutenant Yagi Shiori of the MPD Transportation Department. And next to her body is a 100 yen coin stuck inside her phone. Just like the one found next to the body of the officer discovered in the park this morning, it was deliberately bent. 100 yen coins are engraved with sakura. It goes without saying that sakura is the emblem of the Japanese police.”

“Then, this is...” Shiratori gasped.

“Yes, without a doubt.” Kuroda confirmed. “This case is a serial murder of female police officers.”

“The victim was MPD Transportation Lieutenant, Yagi Shiori.” Megure confirmed. “Twenty-eight years old. Judging by the body's condition, she died from the fall. She was probably pushed from this apartment building's external stairs. Not only that, but like the body of Sergeant Momosaki that was discovered this morning, a bent 100 yen coin was left on the scene. Because 100 yen coins are engraved with sakura, the emblem of police, it's extremely likely that these crimes were committed by an individual who resents the police. Naturally, all female officers like the victims, as well as all other officers, should be on their guard.” he reminded his team. “Don't overlook any illegal activity when you arrest the suspect. “Commissioner Kuroda, we'll see you later at the investigative meeting.” he turned to his superior.

“What is it, Sato?” Kuroda noticed Sato's concentrated expression. “Something on your mind?”

“Nothing, it's just Lieutenant Yagi's face...” Sato voiced. “We believe the wound on her right temporal region was inflicted when she fell to the ground. In that case, it would be more natural for the wound to be facing the ground, but it's currently facing upwards, in the opposite direction, instead. Then, there's this.” she turned to the battered cellphone. “The victim's hand was reaching towards her phone. It's not standard for a person to use a touchscreen without looking at it. If the victim was trying to place a call, her head would be facing left, towards her phone. But she's facing right, preventing her from seeing the screen. Like her head wound, it feels unnatural.”

“Is it possible that it was accidental?” Kuroda proposed. “Sometimes, the shock from a fall can cause a person to face a different direction.”

“It is also unclear what she was attempting to do with her phone.” Megure reminded.

“True, but look closely at this.” Sato focused on the smeared lipstick. “There aren't any large visible wounds on the victim's face. But there appears to be some kind of scratch on just the tip of her nose. Similarly, the lipstick around her mouth is smudged as though it was wiped in one direction. It's as if she forced herself to face right while scraping her face across the floor.”

“You're right.” Megure concurred. “Maybe she followed the direction the suspect fled with her eyes.”

“We'll have forensics examine her phone immediately.” Kuroda put the scattered phone on first priority. “If she called someone, they may have heard something.”

* * *

Later, at Cafe Poirot...

“A week ago?” Azusa echoed, after Conan burst in to the cafe. “There was a commotion at that intersection over there.” she recalled.

“Could you tell me more about what happened then?” Conan pressed.

“What is it?” Amuro stopped in his tracks.

“Conan wants to know more about the commotion at the intersection a week ago.'” Azusa supplied.

“Two female officers got into a shouting match with some drivers.” Amuro related. “Apparently, there were three traffic violators in a row. They said 'We'll question you all at once, so come down to the station.', 'We've got your license plate numbers, so there'll be hell to pay if you run.'”

“Was anyone really angry when they said that?” Conan inquired.

“All three of them were angry.” Amuro recalled. “They had someplace they had to be right away. The man who was using his phone while driving and forgot his license cried that his neurotic girlfriend was waiting for him and asked to be allowed to leave. The man driving against traffic without his helmet shouted that his ex-wife was being abused by her new boyfriend and demanded they let him go to rescue her. The man driving with an expired inspection without a seat belt was panicked because his sister was being stalked and she'd be in danger if he wasn't with her. What about it?”

“Both of the female officers they were arguing with were murdered.” Conan answered. “Did any of those three men participate in sports like baseball, or golf or work in the music industry?”

“What?” Amuro blinked. “Why?”

“The first female officer murdered in the park was pointing to a swing set.” Conan explained. “I thought the 'swing' might be significant.”

“I see.” Amuro grinned. “But I couldn't tell what those three men did.”

“I see.” Conan sighed. “Call me if you remember anything.” he headed off.


	90. The Target is the Metropolitan Police Traffic Department, Part Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So with Chapter 88 uploaded, this is Chapter 89 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review?
> 
> Pairings: Established!Furuya Rei (Amuro Tooru)/Mizuno Ami
> 
> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

* * *

Later that night...

Sato, Shiratori and Chiba were interviewing nearby residents when a horrified scream from a resident living on a higher level sounded.

Sato took off and was stunned to see a fallen Yumi lying on the road.

“Huh?” said traffic policewoman mumbled, fluttering her eyes open “Whoops.” she yawned. “I fell asleep.”

“Yumi...” the sobbing Sato twitched.

“Sorry!” Takagi hurried over. “I forgot to tell you. Yumi-san asked me for a favor. Apparently, Yumi-san noticed something and asked to lie on the ground in the same position as the body. In any case, it seems that Yumi-san had an idea and forensics had finished examining the scene, so I thought it's be all right. I didn't think she'd fall asleep.”

“So, what did you notice?” Sato turned to Yumi.

“When I saw the photo of Yagi's body you sent me, I realized what was in the direction Yagi forced herself to face.” Yumi pulled out the enlarged photo from her gallery. “Since we drive past this alleyway on our patrols, anyone from the Transportation Department would know what's there.” she laid back on the road. “Yagi faced this direction before she died because she knew what was here. She wanted us to focus on that.”

“A no parking sign?” Sato turned to the blue signboard by the street. “What does it mean? That sign is the only obvious thing in that direction. Sergeant Momosaki, who was killed first, was pointing to a swing set in the park. What does that have to do with this?”

“Try to remember, Miwako.” Yumi reminded, getting up. “What else was in the direction Momosaki pointed besides the swing set?”

“A no parking sign.” Sato recalled.

“That's right.” Yumi confirmed. “Momosaki wasn't pointing at the swing set, but the no parking sign behind it. Since Yagi knew the same sign happened to be here, she forced herself to face the same direction. Yagi realized what message Momosaki was trying to convey with that sign, and this happened when she went to confirm it. But she was trying very hard to tell us something until the very end.”

“But that would mean the no parking sign is some kind of direct hint to the identity of the suspect.” Shiratori mused. “Something that led Lieutenant Yagi here.”

“It must be the three men Yumi-san mentioned.” Chiba realized. “The three traffic violators Sergeant Momosaki and Lieutenant Yagi arrested one week ago. One of them must have parked illegally.”

“About that,” Yumi voiced. “Aono was using his phone while driving and didn't have his license. Akamine was driving a motorcycle against traffic without a helmet. Shiroyama was driving with an expired inspection and wasn't wearing his seat belt. None of them parked illegally.”

“Then, why point at a no parking sign?” Chiba asked.

“Who knows?” Yumi shrugged. “If anything, I guess they contain the characters for the red, blue and while used in the sign.”

“But that doesn't tell us which one of them did it.” Sato pointed out. “OR how Yagi arrived here.”

“None of them have present addresses in this building.” Yumi sighed. “Come to think of it, what about the building's security cameras?”

“Apparently, this building doesn't' have security cameras installed.” Takagi supplied. “The opinions of the residents are divided. And I just received a call from the forensic investigators; they figured out the last number Lieutenant Yagi tried to call. We may have figured it out, but calling the number 7155 didn't connect us to anyone.”

“Perhaps her mind was hazy since she was on the brink of death.” Shiratori reasoned.

“No, she wasn't trying to call that number.” Sato corrected. “She pressed the call button because she wanted to preserve the number 7155. That way, it would be left in the phone's records, even if the suspect broke her phone.”

“Maybe it's a request number for a song?” Yumi suggested. “They went to karaoke just before they met the suspect.”

“Didn't Miike go with them?” Sato recalled. “Could you call her and check?”

“Yeah, but she seems like her memory would be worse than a cat's.” Yumi frowned.

“Oh right, Takagi.” Shiratori started. “It's still unclear how it's connected, but a week ago, one of this building's residents committed suicide.”

“Sounds like we should ask the local jurisdiction about that.” Takagi noted.

* * *

Later...

Everyone split up; with Shiratori and Sato patrolling the neighborhood, Takagi heading off the local jurisdiction to find out more about the suicide and Chiba returning to the first crime scene to find more clues.

_I don't see anything._ Chiba looked around.

“Huh?” Conan entered the park. “Detective Chiba, what are you doing here at this hour?”

“Conan, I could ask you the same thing.” Chiba chided.

“I saw the body of the policewoman here this morning.” Conan replied. “At first, I thought she was pointing at the swing set, but I thought she might be pointing at the no parking sign instead. That's why I came here. The same sign was near the second female officer who was murdered. Both of the victims belonged to the Transportation Department, so you suspected the traffic violators they arrested, right? So I thought there might be some meaning behind those road signs.”

“Sato-san and Yumi-san said the same thing.” Chiba admitted. “But we couldn't figure out anything else.”

“Did you come to confirm their suspicions?” Conan inquired.

“There's that.” Chiba added. “And we also determined that the second victim Lieutenant Yagi entered the numbers 7155 into her phone before she died. I thought there might be something related to those numbers at this park, so I came here.”

* * *

In Chiba's car...

“By the way, Yumi-san told me.” Chiba started. “She said you studied road signs together. I had no idea Japanese road signs were based off English ones.”

“I doubt most people now.” Conan surmised

“When I said that to Yumi-san, she responded that it was only natural for a Transportation Department officer to know; that there was no way she wouldn't have such common knowledge.” Chiba added.

_That's it._ Conan realized what the two dead female officers were hinting. _So, that's how it is._ “Listen, Detective Chiba.”

“Sorry, someone's calling.” Chiba took the incoming call. “Hello?” he frowned when his earpiece was silent.


	91. The Target is the Metropolitan Police Traffic Department, Part Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So with Chapter 89 uploaded, we hit Chapter 90 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review?
> 
> Pairings: Established!Furuya Rei (Amuro Tooru)/Mizuno Ami
> 
> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

* * *

In the Haido Police Station...

“Hello, Sato-san?” Takagi made the call. “It was a week ago, after all. One week ago, there was a woman who committed suicide by jumping off the roof of an office building on Second Street in Haido City. Her name was Midorikawa Aiko. Since she worked from the building she jumped from, her colleagues were able to confirm her identify right then and there. She resided in Room 702 of the apartment building. Left at the scene were her shoes and phone. Later, a suicide note was discovered in her desk as well. And in fact...”

* * *

In Chiba's car...

“You know who the culprit is?” Chiba exclaimed. “You know who killed Sergeant Momosaki and Lieutenant Yagi?”

“Yeah.” Conan nodded. “The culprit was one of the traffic violators they arrested one week earlier, right? They were Aono who forgot his license and was using his phone while driving, Akamine who was riding a motorcycle against traffic without a helmet, and Shiroyama whose inspection expired and forgot to wear his seat belt, right? And most likely, both the first victim Sergeant Momosaki was pointing at and the second victim, Lieutenant Yagi was facing a no parking sign. Do you know why sign prohibiting something are a circle with a diagonal line? Because the shape is a combination of the letters N and O. In other words, it means 'no' in English. No parking signs are a 'no' layered on top of a blue sign. Which means blue (ao) plus 'no' is 'Aono'. The culprit is Aono.”

“Do you really think they made a lame pun with their dying messages?” Chiba sweatdropped.

“That's what I thought as first.” Conan insisted. “But if that's the only thing you saw in the vicinity, wouldn't you do the same? Dying messages can't be noticed by the culprit, but it's also no good if no one understands them. Most people don't know the history of road signs, but it's likely an officer from the Transportation Department would notice. It's the perfect message. Then, there's 7155: the number Lieutenant Yagi left on her phone that doesn't concern anyone. It probably refers to road traffic law article 71, section 5-5: while operating a vehicle, drivers must not hold their phone in their hand or look at its screen. In other words, I think we can assume it refers to Aono who was using his phone while driving.”

“What?” Chiba gasped after Sato relayed to him what Takagi had found out. “Aono Kengo's girlfriend killed herself by jumping off the building she worked at? One week ago?”

* * *

At the crime scene...

“Apparently, she could not take the power harassment she was suffering from her bosses.” Sato confirmed. “Aono received a text from his girlfriend that said 'goodbye'. He rushed out of work, got into his car without his license and was caught by Sergeant Momosaki and Lieutenant Yagi while he was on his way to her.”

“So, he resented them for stopping him.” Shiratori reasoned.

“He believes he could've prevented his girlfriend's suicide if that hadn't happened.” Takagi spoke.

“But according to the local jurisdiction, she called Aono immediately after she texted him, right?” Sato asked.

“Yes, but Aono didn't answer, so she left a voicemail instead.” Takagi confirmed. “She was using a recording app on her phone, so they were able to confirm the message's contents at the scene.”

“Speaking of phones, they received a phone call while questioning Aono and he was extremely upset.” Sato recalled. “The two of them had a mutual friend named Yumiko who they went to karaoke with. But both of them call her Yumi.”

“Did Aono hear that name then plan to kill Yumi-san next?” Takagi realized.

“If you're looking for someone named Yumi among their acquaintances, it's certainly possible.” Shiratori greed. “Where is Yumi-san now?”

“I've been calling her, but she won't answer.” Sato replied.

“A text?” Takagi received a message on his phone.

* * *

In Chiba's car...

“Conan just sent a message to Takagi's phone.” Chiba supplied. “Due to certain circumstances, I'm driving him home right now. Is the number I just sent him Yumi-san's number? I don't know if it was Yumi-san.” he admitted. “But I heard four sets of a fingernail tapping a phone seven times. After that, I heard a male voice say 'Hey, what are you doing?' before they hung up. I thought it might be...”

* * *

At the crime scene...

“This is Miike's number.” Sato confirmed.

* * *

In Chiba's car...

'Miike?” Chiba echoed. “Yumi-san's subordinate?”

* * *

At the crime scene...

“Come to think of it, we can't get in touch with Miike either.” Sato realized.

* * *

In Chiba's car...

“It's possible the culprit figured out she's a police officer and kidnapped her so he can lure Yumi-san to him and murder her.” Conan suggested. “If he plans to call her to him, then he can't be that far. What places nearby that the culprit would be familiar with? Do you know where Aono does for work?” he shouted.

“Yes...” Sato nodded. “I think he was a remodeler.”

Without a moment to lose, Conan consulted his online map for remodeled buildings.

“By the way, Chiba.” Sato voiced. “How did the sound you heard go?”

“I believe it was...” Chiba recited the taps he overheard. “That sounds familiar.”

“It's 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'.” Conan recognized the tune. “In other words, she's being held in the planetarium that's being remodeled.”

* * *

In the abandoned planetarium...

Using Conan as a distraction. Chiba flipped Aono to the ground. “Aono Kengo, you're under arrest for the murders of two female police officers.” he declared. “22.54, suspect arrested.” he cuffed Aono.

“Damn!” Aono screamed in frustration.

“So, you do have your phone with you.” Chiba spotted the phone in Aono's back pocket. “The police have been calling you over and over.”

“It's not on.” Aono snorted. “This phone is full of memories of Aiko. I never let it out of my sight. But since that day, that moment, I haven't looked at the screen. I can't look at it anymore. Since that moment Aiko died, no matter how often I look at it, Aiko never says anything to me.”

“I heard about your girlfriend.” Chiba stated. “What happened was tragic.”

“It's your fault.” Aono snapped. “Because you police wouldn't let me go, Aiko is...”

“Weren't you driving without a license while using your phone?” Chiba fired back. “It's only natural that you were arrested. Those are the rules.”

“There it is.” Aono glared. “The rules. They could've quickly written me a ticket. But they wasted my time by talking about karaoke on the phone and slowed me down. I wanted to get to my girlfriend to convince her not to do it. The police killed Aiko.”

“The police didn't kill your girlfriend.” Chiba corrected. “It was a coincidence that they received a call. Even it hadn't happened, they wouldn't have let you go. It was clear from your behavior that you were out of your mind. They thought you need time to calm down. No one can remain calm under all circumstances, especially not if their loved ones are involved. Not even me. It's the reason the policewomen you killed did their jobs. So a driver like you who's lost their cool won't take the life of someone else's loved one.”

“You're lecturing me?” Aono retorted. “Talk all you want, but Aiko still died because you guys stopped me. If that hadn't happened, I could've saved Aiko. Besides, I was calm. They had no reason to keep me there.”

“No,” Chiba chided. “You weren't behaving normally. Your girlfriend left a voicemail on your phone. I knew it.” he retrieved the phone. “You haven't heard your girlfriend's message. You don't even seem to know that she called you. She called you a minute after she sent you that last text. Because you were hurrying to your car, it's possible you didn't notice she was calling. But you were looking at your phone while driving after that. You were so preoccupied that the police stopped you. You should've noticed this notification on your screen then.” he showed Aono the missed call pop-up window. “This important notification was visible to you, but you didn't notice. I know exactly how shaken you were.”

“Let me hear it.” Aono sobbed. “Let me hear the message Aiko left for me.”

Chiba nodded and played the voicemail. “Do you understand now?” he put the phone on the ground. “You were too late.”


	92. The Case On the Opposite Shore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So with Chapter 90 uploaded, this is Chapter 91 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review?
> 
> Pairings: Established!Furuya Rei (Amuro Tooru)/Mizuno Ami
> 
> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

* * *

Time passes...

“Found a heron.” Haibara reported, peering through her bird-watching binoculars.

“That's a sandpiper, isn't it?” Genta spotted a sandpiper by the rocks.

“Those are mallards.” Mitsuhiko trained his binoculars on a flock of mallards swimming on the river. “There're a bunch of them.”

“Look.” Ayumi piped in. “There's a kingfisher.”

“Now, that's a rare find.” Fumio whistled lowly.

“That's a thrush.” Conan cut in, instead of bird-watching, he was people-watching. “A woodpecker, maybe? And a turtle dove. Just kidding.”

“Why do I get the feeling you're not doing what you're supposed to do?” Fumio deathpanned, nudging Conan by the ribs with his elbow.

“People watching...” caught in the act, Conan stammered.

“Just as I thought...” Fumio sighed.

“But it does seem pretty interesting, too.” Haibara noted. “People watching. Looks like they're arguing.” she trained on an arguing couple in the park on the opposite shore.

“'I'm sorry. Please cheer up.'” Mitsuhiko relayed what he thought the man was saying.

“'Tell me. What's more important: me or your job?'” Ayumi took up the woman's role.

“'I don't know what to say.'” Mitsuhiko continued the role-play.

“'I don't like men who don't communicate properly. Hmph.'” Ayumi blabbered back.

“I don't think what this is about.” Fumio sweatdropped.

“What is it about, then?” Haibara asked.

“Basically, for example...” Conan started and trained his binoculars on the man by the slide. “See that man in the white polo shirt playing with the child by the slide? You observe him and guess his profession.”

“That's impossible.” Mitsuhiko protested.

“Not really.” Fumio tsked. “First of all, take a good look at the watch on his left arm; it's a luxury watch that costs _at least_ several million yen. While all the clothes he is wearing are plain, they are of designer brands. And based on that, we can correctly infer that he works a high-paying job. And more importantly is the red strap on his neck and what's on the end of it: a cell phone for medical use. In other words, that man is...”

“A doctor.” Conan shook his head.

“A cell phone for medical use?” Ayumi echoed.

“Because the waves they transmit are weak, they're widely use for internal communication systems within hospitals.” Conan explained. “Additionally, that red strap indicates that he's a healthcare worker. You guys can do it, too.” he encouraged. “When you observe carefully, you can figure out all kinds of things. Okay then...” he tried to pick up the next target. “Let's look at the woman in the light blue dress carrying that big bag.”

“She's a singer-songwriter.” Ayumi guessed.

“A makeup artist.” Mitsuhiko piped in.

No, she sells eels.” Genta argued.

“You're al wrong.” Conan chuckled. “You should focus on her unique way of walking and her large bag.”

“So, that's how it is.” Fumio focused on the woman's legs. “She's a ballerina. The basic position in ballet is called 'en dehors', which means turning your feet outwards. Therefore, even when walking, she points her toes outwards and maintains a straight posture. Well, you can consider this an occupational habit.”

“Not only do ballet use a lot of costumes and equipment, but most people have to carry their own things.” Haibara added. “So they tend to carry large bags. Hey, Edogawa-kun.” she spotted something happening. “Look at the hedges to the right of the water fountain.”

As one, the others focused their attention to the water fountain.

“Is that...” Fumio zoomed in on Detective Takagi hiding behind the hedges in disguise. “Detective Takagi?”

“And look at the cardboard box behind the fountain.” Haibara added.

“Wow, Detective Chiba sure plays the role of a vagrant pretty well.” Fumio muttered. “Are they on a stakeout?”

“Let's see if we can find their target.” Conan suggested.

“In front of the fountain.” Ayumi followed both detective's gaze and locked onto the man standing by the fountain.

“I see.” Conan nodded. “He's delivering the ransom in a kidnapping case.”

“What should we do?” Ayumi asked.

“One thing's for sure, we can't go over there and cause confusion.” Fumio sighed.

“Let's watch from here.” Conan agreed.

“Two guys are coming down the stairs to the middle.” Genta reported.

“They're probably construction workers building houses in the area.” Conan guessed. “They're unrelated to the case.”

“One person is coming from the left.” Mitsuhiko added.

“Are you serious?” Fumio deathpanned. “Which kidnapper would be dressed in a sailor uniform?”

“What's that?” Conan blinked when a boat crossed over the water.

“That running woman is heading towards the fountain.” Genta supplied.

“No, it's not her.” Conan objected. “She's merely meeting the man by the river.”

“Edogawa-kun, how about the man by the swings?” Haibara suggested.

“He does look the part.” Fumio agreed. “He's very obviously looking at his surroundings and behaving rather suspiciously. Is he the kidnapper?”

“Bingo, that's him.” Haibara nodded, her eyes trained on the man walking towards the kidnapee's father.

“They got him!” Genta beamed when Detective Takagi placed the culprit under arrest.

“Case closed.” Mitsuhiko nodded.

_The culprit's been arrested, but something's not right._ Conan frowned.

“Just as I thought.” Fumio looked at the struggling culprit. “It's not him.”

“Fumio's right.” Conan agreed. “He is a culprit, but not of this case. He's probably a communications fraud con artist.

“I definitely thought it was strange for a kidnapper to behave so apprehensively.” Fumio mused. “He was probably quite shocked to hear the charges against him.”

“I need to let them know immediately.” Conan dug out his cellphone.

“I don't think that'll be necessary.” Fumio corrected. “Take a closer look.” he peered into his binoculars to see Takagi have his subordinates lead Tanaka off and have the others regroup. “Still no movement.” he spoke after a while.

“I wouldn't say that.” Conan smirked. “Take a look. The police officers are on edge. The kidnapper should make his move soon.”

“If the police officers are on edge, that means it's nearly the time scheduled by the kidnapper.” Fumio reasoned. “That also means the kidnapper is already in the park.”

“It's an emergency!” Genta shouted, his eyes were focused on the man drowning in the water.

With the police distracted, another man dashed towards the elder Shibata and snatched away the bag containing the ransom money.

“Yes!” Genta, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi cheered when Detective Takagi slammed his handcuffs on the runner. “This time, the case is closed.”

“You're wrong.” Conan cut in. “That's a decoy. There's another culprit. That's definitely him.” he closed in on the man reading on the nearby bench. “He's the culprit.”

“He's not answering...” Fumio stated, Conan's call to Detective Takagi went unanswered.

“Then, how about this?” Conan used the sun's reflection from his watch to catch Detective Chiba's attention. “There's no time.” he spoke into the oversized detective's phone. “Listen quietly. The kidnapper isn't that man, it's someone else. Run to the swings immediately. The man who fell into the river and the man who came to get the ransom money were probably just hired. They shouldn't know anything about the case. Since time is short, I'll start from the conclusion. The culprit is the man wearing the gray jacket. The kidnapper first had a hired man jump into the river to distract you. While that was going on, he had another man attempt to seize the ransom money. The kidnapper himself isn't going to receive the money because he's cautious of the police. Normally when a person falls into a river, everyone would look in that direction in surprise. If after that, if anyone attempted to steal an old man's bag, you'll look at that, naturally. But the man in the gray jacket wasn't surprised at all. The kidnapper is attempting to flee the park. He's surely mad at the victim for breaking their promise. If you don't arrest him here, the kidnapping victim's life could be in danger.”

“But Conan, he's not here.” Detective Chiba looked around. “The man in the gray jacket is gone.”

“That's not possible.” Conan gawked. “How? He was there until a second ago.”

“A reversible jacket.” Fumio realized. “He flipped his jacket inside out.”

“Did he have any other distinctive qualities?” Haibara pressed.

* * *

With Detective Chiba...

“Those are nice sneakers.” Detective Chiba stopped the kidnapper from fleeing. “Are they limited edition? Could I ask you a few questions about the kidnapping of Shibata Mika?” he flashed his badge of the kidnapper. “You're under arrest for the kidnapping of Shibata Mika.” he cuffed the culprit.


	93. Welcome to Bocchan Restaurant, Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So with Chapter 91 uploaded, this is Chapter 92 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review?
> 
> Pairings: Established!Furuya Rei (Amuro Tooru)/Mizuno Ami
> 
> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

* * *

Time passes...

“Yoshida-san?” Haibara turned when Ayumi stopped in her tracks.

Ayumi said nothing and knelt in front of a bench to see the wounded cat lying underneath it.

“It's really hurt.” Genta remarked. “Did it get hit by a car?”

“No, it doesn't seem like it.” Conan corrected. “There aren't any signs that it was hit by a car.”

Unfolding a handkerchief, Fumio reached in to retrieved a pair of pink and yellow threads from the cat's claws.

“Somebody probably hit or kicked it.” Conan supplied, Fumio showing him the torn off strings. “This might serve as a clue to finding the culprit.”

“We also need to get this cat to the hospital.” Fumio reminded.

* * *

In front of the Bocchan Restaurant...

The Detective Boys had followed the police cars to the restaurant.

“You kids again?” Mouri chided.

* * *

Inside the restaurant's courtyard...

“That man's shirt is yellow and pink.” Mitsuhiko pointed out, seeing Koga Ushio's body floating in the restaurant's lake.

“The victim was Bocchan Restaurant employee, Koga Ushio, thirty-six years old.” Takagi reported. “The weapon hasn't been found, but is most likely a kitchen knife-like blade. The body was abandoned in Sanshiro Lake. Judging by the body's condition, he was killed last night around midnight.”

“You lot again?” Inspector Megure spotted the unwelcomed group behind him. “Try not to get in our way by walking around the crime scene. Continue, Takagi.”

“This morning, Bocchan Restaurant's manager, Akazawa Zenichi, whose home is located here at the restaurant, discovered the body.” Takagi continued.

“It's possible that cat happened to be here at the crime scene last night.” Conan reasoned. “Since their crime had been witnessed, they intended to silence him.”

“Regarding the criminal profile, since the murder occurred within the restaurant late at night, it's hard to imagine that it was committed by an outsider.” Takagi added.

“So, it's likely that the murder was committed by someone who works at Bocchan Restaurant.” Inspector Megure mused.

“Inspector Megure,” Chiba came in. “All the employees have arrived for work.”

“That's our uniform.” Akazawa informed the police as the rest of his work force entered the scene.

“What is that?” Conan muttered, bemused.

“Boys, Uranari's been killed.” the lead guard in the Chinese button-up shirt declared.

“What evildoer could do such a thing?” Shima Rokusuke questioned. “The sun may forgive them, but I will not.”

“How marvelous.” Kiyohara Uni sobbed. “Bocchan's sense of justice is this old Kiyo's pride and joy.”

“Now you've done it, you dastardly Red Shirt!” Hotta Izumi snapped. “All to get at Madonna!”

“Please, Yama Arashi.” Toyama Chiaki chided. “You make it seem like I am the reason for this.”

“I'd never do anything as senseless as kill someone.” Akazawa shook his head.

“Indeed.” Yoshikawa Kozo concurred. “You suspect the president? What a fool.”

“Nodaiko, stay out of this!” Hotta barked.

“Now, now.” Tanuma Toyoo played peacemaker. “Let's not cast suspicion on each other.”

“You're always afraid to rock the boat, Tanuki.” Shima rebuked.

“So, that's how it is.” Fumio laughed nervously. “Bocchan Restaurant recreates the world inside a novel, isn't it?” he turned to Yoshikawa.

“I'm impressed you noticed, son.” Yoshikawa beamed. “That's our selling point.”

“A novel?” Ayumi blinked.

“You haven't heard of 'Bocchan'?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“Mitsuhiko, take it away, please.” Fumio requested.

“'Bocchan' is a famous novel written during the Meiji Era by Natsume Soseki.” Mitsuhiko started. “The protagonist Bocchan leaves his maidservant Kiyo in Tokyo to begin teaching at a school in Shikoku. But his students pulled pranks on him, like putting grasshoppers in his bed. The principal, Tanuki, is irresponsible. Meanwhile, he learns that his colleague, Uranari's fiancée, Madonna, has been taken from him by the head teacher, Red Shirt. The righteous Bocchan is unable to forgive them, so he and his colleague, Yama Arashi, beat up Red Shirt and his obsequious sidekick, Nodaiko. It's a very satisfying story.”

“You're lucky, onee-san.” Ayumi walked towards Toyama. “You get to wear those pretty clothes while bringing customers their food.”

“That's not my only job.” Toyama smiled.

* * *

In the restaurant's main hall...

“Bocchan's Dancers?” Genta muttered, the recording was played in the television screen, showing the staff dancing the can-can.

“They all dance together.” Ayumi gawked.

“But why the can-can?” Fumio wondered.

“We should get started looking for the culprit.” Haibara set the group back on track.

* * *

In the restaurant's dining area...

“Those three...” Conan started, the Detective Boys peering out from the chairs they were hiding behind as Shima, Hotta and Yoshikawa walked by. “Their colleague was just murdered.”

“It's understandable.” Toyama brought in soft drinks for the kids. “After all, the victim, Uranari was...”

“Did he have problems?” Conan asked.

* * *

In the restaurant's welcoming area...

“Inspector.” Chiba ran in and whispered into Inspector Megure's ear.

“The victim Uranari had a bad reputation?” Inspector Megure echoed.

“Are you sure you're not mistaken?” Mouri scoffed. “Uranari is a kind-hearted and good man.”

“In the novel.” Chiba reminded. “But apparently, they're all totally different from the characters they play. For example, the dastardly Red Shirt is a good-natured man who cares for his employees. Bocchan is actually a twisted man with no sense of justice, Yama Arashi is a delicate crybaby. And Madonna seems plain, but she wrestled as a student. Uranari was incredibly strict and he often yelled at his subordinates as the head receptionist. Naturally, everyone working in customer service strongly disliked him.”

“So, that's what it is.” Conan informed the Detective Boys.

“So, they're nothing like their characters in the novel.” Mouri mused. “Inspector, that means the culprit is one of the good guys from the novel.” inspiration struck him. “Either Bocchan or Yama Arashi.”

“Stop thinking about the novel already.” Inspector Megure sighed.

“But they did have old scores to settle.” Chiba cut in.

* * *

Sometime later...

“The question is their alibis.” Mitsuhiko remarked, the Detective Boys were also present for the questioning.

“You were able to confirm their alibis, too?” Inspector Megure looked at Takagi and Chiba. “Which means, we haven't been able to verify last night's alibis for Shima who plays Bocchan, Hotta who plays Yama Arashi, and Yoshikawa who plays Nodaiko. You three are the only ones “

“Having an alibi is a bigger miracle.” Shima retorted.

“It was midnight.” Hotta reminded.

“And we're suspects because of that?” Yoshikawa scoffed. “Unbelievable.”

“Indeed.” Inspector Megure agreed. “We'll have to question you later. We appreciate your cooperation.”

“We should split up and help too.” Conan sent his team off.

* * *

A few hours later...

“We didn't find anything conclusive.” Haibara started once everyone reconvened.

“Is the culprit one of those three or Red Shirt?” Conan pondered. “We'll figure it out tomorrow.”

* * *

The next day...

The police were sent once again to Bocchan Restaurant when Kiyohara found Akazawa's body hanging on the tree in the yard.

“'I offer my own death as an apology to the man I killed.'” Inspector Megure read the suicide note written on the sand after Akazawa's body was brought down.

“Inspector, this was found on the alter in Red Shirt's home.” Takagi brought in the bagged kitchen knife.

“That's probably the weapon used in Uranari's murder.” Inspector Megure remarked. “After killing his romantic rival Uranari, he realized he couldn't escape with his guilt so he took his own life.”

“You two don't seem satisfied.” Haibara spotted the deep-thinking looks on Conan and Fumio.

“If he really did it, then why leave the weapon on the alter?” Conan posted a question.

“Maybe he disposed of it initially, but once he decided to kill himself, he left it there by way of apology.” Mitsuhiko suggested.

“Then, why wasn't the suicide note written on a piece of paper?” Fumio asked.

“Because their handwriting would give it away.” Haibara answered.

“You mean Red Shirt's death wasn't a suicide?” Mitsuhiko gasped.

“What we're saying is that it's possible it was faked.” Fumio stated.

“They knocked him out and hanged him by the neck.” Conan explained. “Then, they fabricated the suicide note and placed the murder weapon on the alter to frame Red Shirt for the murder of Uranari. If that's true, then they must have left some evidence.”

“The rope is wet.” being most athletic, Fumio was on the tree in an instant. “There are also water droplets on the leaves of the branch underneath.”

“His hair and clothes are also wet.” Conan inspected he dead body after Fumio reported his findings.

“He just got out of the bath.” Mouri cut in.

“Well, we still don't know if the suicide was faked.” Conan told the Detective Boys after Mouri chased him off.

* * *

Back at the vet...

After finding out that the cat had two broken legs, Conan realized that the Bocchan Restaurant was not the original crime scene and the Detective Boys set out of locate the real murder site which they found was located in a nearby playground.


	94. Welcome to Bocchan Restaurant, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So with Chapter 92 uploaded, this is Chapter 93 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review?
> 
> Pairings: Established!Furuya Rei (Amuro Tooru)/Mizuno Ami
> 
> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

* * *

In the Bocchan Restaurant...

“Got it.” Inspector Megure got a call from the coroner. “The autopsy discovered something strange about Red Shirt's body. It's about the ladder that was left by his feet. When a person is hanged using a step of that height, not much force should be applied to the neck. But there were signs that a rather strong force was applied to the body's neck.”

“What does that mean?” Mouri asked.

“I'm not sure, but it's possible that a third party was involved.” Inspector Megure concluded.

“I see.” Mouri realized. “Red Shirt's murder was made to look like a suicide and the culprit is one of Bocchan, Yama Arashi or Nodaiko.”

* * *

With the Detective Boys...

“They're in the waiting room.” Toyama informed the kids. “The police and Mouri-san are talking to them.”

Leading his group, Conan ran to the makeshift interrogation room.

“Those three probably won't lying.” Conan concluded, the group were holding their own meeting after eavesdropping on the interrogation. “They didn't kill Red Shirt. Besides, it's even if it's possible that they hated Uranari enough to kill him, they wouldn't have tried to frame Red Shirt for it.”

“In other words, those three are innocent of both murders.” Haibara noted.

“But that leaves zero people who had motive and alibi.” Mitsuhiko pointed out.

“Maybe, it could be the opposite.” Fumio voiced. “It was Red Shirt who the culprit wanted to kill. To do that, it was best to make it look like a suicide, but they need a motive for suicide. So, in order to create a false motive, they murdered Uranari and directed suspicion towards Red Shirt.”

* * *

Outside the courtyard...

“Did you figure out who the culprit is?” Mitsuhiko asked, Conan suddenly had a brainwave and led the group out to the tree.

“What I figured out is how the culprit hanged Red Shirt.” Conan answered. “What were you going to say earlier?” he asked Haibara. “About regardless of whether it was Uranari or Red Shirt?”

“Either way, maybe the culprit used their romantic rivalry against each other.” Haibara elaborated.

“Their romantic rivalry started when that lady started working here six months ago, right?” Ayumi reminded.

“I believe she said it was because her younger sister died of an illness.” Haibara supplied.

“She wanted to fulfill the desire of her younger sister who loved the novel 'Bocchan' and she said wanted to work here.” Mitsuhiko added.

“So, she applied for the job, instead.” Fumio frowned. “Wait, the younger sister died of subarachnoid hemorrhaging, didn't she?”

“I see.” Conan's brain went into overdrive. “If they really wanted to...”

“Looks like you've figured it out.” Fumio smiled.

“The question is how to prove it.” Conan stated. “If that's true, that would explain everything.”

“What we need are evidence.” Fumio reminded.

“Let's split up and investigate.” Conan sent the group off into pairs; Haibara and Ayumi remained in the restaurant to gather up the employees' testaments, Mitsuhiko and Genta were sent to the nearby hardware stores to locate the items the culprit needed and Conan and Fumio headed to the hospitals to find out more about the younger Toyama's injury.

* * *

Afterwards...

“Right, we have all the evidence now.” Conan confirmed.

“But we're still missing the key piece.” Haibara reminded.

“It's just speculation, but that's...” Conan concurred. “Regarding the motive, ultimately, we have to get the culprit to admit it.”

* * *

Outside the yard...

“What?” Toyama blinked when the Detective Boys confronted her. “You're saying I lied?”

“About Red Shirt and Uranari.” Conan clarified. “After all, you were the one who pushed them towards becoming romantic rivals.”

“We checked.” Haibara added. “With Bocchan, Nodaiko and Yama Arashi.”

“You set it up beforehand, didn't you?” Conan asked. “In order to frame Red Shirt for Uranari's murder.”

“I don't know why you think I did it, but I have an alibi.” Toyama smiled.

“Both the night before last when Uranari was killed and last night when Red Shirt was hanged, you stayed at Kiyo's house.” Conan affirmed.

“The night before last you just happened to visit, and the last night was because the murder scared you.” Ayumi added. “Isn't that what you said?”

“Because it's true.” Toyama insisted.

“But even if you stayed over, it was still possible for you to do it.” Conan declared. “Both cases happened in the middle of the night; as long as you slipped out when Kiyo was asleep.”

“Kiyo said so herself.” Haibara added. “It was as though she'd been drugged by sleeping pills.”

“You created a fake alibi and first invited Uranari to the park the night before last.” Conan recounted. “You stabbed him to death.”

“And then, seeing the sole witness was a stray cat, you battered him half to death.” Fumio continued. “In order to make it seem like the crime scene was here, you tossed Uranari's body into the lake. In the end, suspicions fell on Red Shirt, who lives in the restaurant, just as you planned. In that way, you created a motive for Red Shirt's suicide. Last night, you asked Red Shirt to meet you, knocked him out, and killed him by stringing him with a rope; thus, making it look like suicide.”

“If you just wanted Red Shirt's death to look like suicide, you could have lifted the unconscious Red Shirt and wrapped a rope around his neck.” Conan took over. “But you chose that method because you wanted to get revenge with your own hands, right? With your strength, you could've done it.”

“But if I lifted a person using the rope, wouldn't there be scrapes on the branch?” Toyama asked.

“That's the ingenious part, you used ice.” Fumio stated. “Like ice sculptured into the shape of a horse saddle. That wouldn't leave ant scrape marks behind and the ice will melt come morning. However, too bad there are traces of the ice left behind. The branch itself was strangely damp, as well as Red Shirt's hair. There is also one more thing to prove your guilt; you had to sure the ice won't melt until the time to use it.”

“You needed a cooler and dry ice.” Mitsuhiko declared.

“The store employee remembered you buying them.” Genta spoke.

“My alibi wasn't ironclad.” Toyama sighed. “I was strong, and I did buy a cooler and dry ice. But why would I kill the two of them? I have no motive.”

“Is that so?” Fumio raised a brow. “Do you really have no idea?”

“You told me about your younger sister.” Ayumi reminded.

“Subarachnoid hemorrhaging also appears in young people.” Fumio supplied. “But it also happens if you hit your head really hard. We looked into the circumstances of your sister's death. Her life was taken, but they'd never be charged. It was then you swore revenge, didn't you? And those two drunk men...”

“Four days later, Natsumi died.” Toyama wept, recalling the incident. “It may not be malicious, but those two killed my sister.”

“So, you looked for them.” Conan concluded.

“Madonna, that word was my only clue.” Toyama turned to the sky. “And it led me to Bocchan Restaurant. I got a job, spent six months developing their romantic rivalry, and with these hands... although, in the end, you Detective Boys figured it out. But this is for the best.” if I'm not unpunished, it would be a lie.” she sank to her knees. “If I'd forced Natsumi to go to the hospital six months ago, maybe she wouldn't have died.”


	95. The Case of Ayumi's Illustrated Diary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So with Chapter 93 uploaded, this is Chapter 94 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review?
> 
> Pairings: Established!Furuya Rei (Amuro Tooru)/Mizuno Ami
> 
> Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

* * *

Time passes...

“Saturday, 5th December.” Ayumi started off. “Today, Conan caught a jewelry thief. When I asked how he did it, he said it was thanks to my illustrated dairy. But I don't remember figuring anything out. I wonder why he said that. Conan noticed the jewelry thief while walking through a shopping area on the way to school.”

* * *

Earlier that week...

“Is something wrong?” Haibara asked, hearing Ayumi sigh.

“Is it your illustrated diary?” Mitsuhiko guessed.

“Yeah.” Ayumi confirmed. “I'm not sure what to write each day. What do you guys do?”

“Just write about whatever you want to eat that day.” Genta pointed out. “Like grilled eel in a bowl, or grilled eel in a box, or quartered grilled eel.”

“When I can't decide, I go for a walk.” Mitsuhiko supplied.

“Don't you end up writing the same thing every day?” Conan asked.

“What about you, Ai-chan?” Ayumi turned to the other girl.

“It's easy.” Haibara replied. “A quick search online yields plenty of ideas like the weather or whatever else. You simply have to choose whatever you like from among the options.”

“What about you, Fumio?” Ayumi turned to the light blond.

“I practice people watching in Café Poirot.” Fumio let out a smile. “Tou-san says I'm getting better.”

“Jeez, what should I do?” Ayumi whined.

“Do what Fumio does.” Conan suggested. “Carefully observe all kinds of things and you'll discover the truth.”

“There's a bunch of people over there.” Genta spotted a small crowd outside the jewelry store.

“What does Kaneko plan to do by stocking something so nice?” Nishimura peered closely at the bejeweled watch in display in the glass case.

“He said he hoped it would revitalize the town.” Fujioka answered.

“What if someone steals it?” Ogino wondered.

“I'm not certain, but it's probably insured.” Fujioka noted.

“But I wonder how much that watch would sell for?” Ogino mused.

“Even if you sold it so it won't be traced, it'd probably go for at least 70 million.” Fujioka pondered.

“I heard you can get several more times the market price if you sell it to a collector.” Nishimura stated.

“If I got that much money, I'd take my family to Hawaii.” Ogino gushed.

“Speaking of which, did you win that trip to Hawaii you mentioned the other day?” Fujioka asked.

“I don't know yet.” Ogino replied.

“So, this is what drew the small crowd.” Haibara noted.

“It's a big watch.” Mitsuhiko gawked.

“It's so shiny.” Ayumi gushed.

“Come on, kids.” Ogino reminded. “Isn't it time to go to school? Get moving.”

* * *

“According to Conan, the jewel thief was trying to steal the big shiny watch from Jewelry Kaneko.” Ayumi related.

* * *

In school...

“Blue Diamond Limited Toubilion Cage No. 3.” Haibara pulled out the article once the group settled in their classroom. “Made by renowned watchmaker Soumillon, there's only five of them in the world.”

“No wonder the grocer was so excited.” Conan noted.

“It's quite a luxury watch for a small town jeweler.” Haibara agreed.

“Enough to create a commotion among ordinary people.” Conan added.

“I hope it doesn't become the target of any ill-intentioned people.” Haibara stated.

* * *

After school...

“Did you beat that game?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“Yeah, I did.” Genta beamed.

“It's Detective Takagi.” Ayumi blinked, spotting the detective in front of the grocer store.

“Detective Takagi.” Conan voiced.

“Conan, and you kids.” Takagi smiled.

“What are you doing here?” Mitsuhiko asked.

“Is it about the luxury watch at the store next door?” Conan pressed.

“Not exactly.” Takagi chuckled. “There have been a lot of burglaries in this area lately. I'm handing out these fliers to alert the locals.”

* * *

In Kaneko Jewelry Store...

“Kaneko, how's your security?” Takagi thought to ask after the store owner presented the jeweled watch for the Detective Boys to gush over.

“Don't worry.” Kaneko assured. “My security is absolutely secure. I have security cameras covering every inch of the store. The footage is stored on the Cloud, so you don't need to worry about intruders erasing it. Outside of business hours, I keep the sturdy shutters closed. I also have infrared and pressure sensors installed. The store window where the watch is displayed is made of tempered glass and a code is required to open this door. All of these systems are monitored by computer. If anything happens, the security company will come running.”

“I see.” Takagi nodded. “With security this tight, it's not possible for your average burglar to break in.”

“How about underground?” Fumio piped in.

“Fumio is right.” Takagi agreed. “Nothing's for certain. Please be careful.” he cautioned Kaneko and led the Detective Boys out of the store.

* * *

“Nothing of note happened for several days after that.” Ayumi continued. “But one day...”

* * *

A few days later...

“Good morning, kids.” Ogino opened her store for the day and spotted the Detective Boys walking past. “Don't take any detours. Go straight to school.” she advised.

“What's that sound?” Genta heard a drill as the group walked past Café Haronbo after school.

“Maybe it's construction work?” Mitsuhiko suggested.

“Looks like they're renovating.” Haibara blinked as the group peered in through the Café window. “I don't see anything suspicious.”

“Let's check it out for ourselves.” Conan led the group in the renovating Café.

* * *

“Then, nothing in particular happened for several days.” Ayumi recounted. “But while Conan and Fumio brainstormed about it, the culprit's plans were steadily advancing. With no crime, there wasn't anything Conan and Fumio could do, but several days later, the fateful day would come.”

* * *

A couple of days later...

Conan and Fumio were standing outside the jewelry store when Ayumi headed her illustrated diary over.

“What's this?” Conan flipped to a page with a drawing of him and Fumio standing in front of the Kaneko Jewelry Store. “Found it.” he flipped a few pages back to an illustration of Ogino Michiyo going on holiday with her family. “Ayumi, what's Michiyo's family name?”

“I think it's Ogino.” Ayumi recalled.

“Could it be...” Fumio turned a look at Conan, the other boy nodding in confirmation.

“There's still a lot I need to confirm, though.” Conan noted. “But that's definitely it.” taking out his cellphone, he made a call.

* * *

Later that evening...

“Hold it right there.” Conan declared, the jewel thief was climbing out from the grocer store's shutter gates. “You nearly pulled it off. Too bad.

“You can't escape anymore.” Fumio lowered into his fighting stance.

“We've already called the police.” Mitsuhiko added.

“You heard an expensive luxury watch was at display in Kaneko Jewelry.” Conan stated. “While waiting to see what would happen, you heard Café Haronbo was renovating its store and came up with your plan. Isn't that right, Cheetah Transport courier Fujioka Yuji? This was the plan you came up with: the renovation work being done in the Café next to the jewelry store would generate a lot noise. You decided to use that noise as a camouflage to enter the jeweler from the produce store on the opposite side. As long as the Café was undergoing renovations, no matter how much noise you made, no one would suspect you. Then you just needed the produce store workers to go away. You probably learned the grocer loves prize contests from that conversation and invited her family to Hawaii by lying and telling her she'd won a prize.”

“How'd you know that?” Fujioka stammered.

“What?” Fumio deathpanned. “You mean you didn't see the note she posted on the door? The shop is temporarily closed because they're on a family trip.”

“That must've been a lot of work.” Conan was not sympathetic to the downed thief as the police sirens were heard. “You've been digging for five days since they went on their trip, haven't you?”

* * *

“And so, the case was solved.” Ayumi concluded. “The culprit Fujioka was arrested by Detective Takagi.”


End file.
